Two Worlds
by Alasiel
Summary: Angel Stark and Sharon Carver team up with the Avengers to help stop a threat from taking over the world while the girls keep a secret that may be the key to saving the earth. OCxCaptain America, LokixOCxHawkeye.
1. What the Hell

**I am a huge fan of storytelling and coming up with my own spin on them, My best friend and I love to look at a film or a book and say "if we had characters, this is what would happen..." and that is what started this story. It is the story of two best friends who do whatever it takes to save the world with the aid of Earth's mightiest heroes. Along the way they must deal with familial issues, heartbreak, evil, and secrets that may end up becoming the keys to saving the world. **

**Angel Stark is Tony's younger Half-sister, Sharon Carver is her best friend. These characters came from the minds of myself and my best friend Kyla (PyroQueenOfFire) who is also writing an Avengers story with these two characters. I hope you enjoy our stories as much as we do coming up with them and writing them.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who's love for Captain America is flawless and awesome.**

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PROLOGUE

The forest seemed to be getting thicker as Angel and Sharon tried to keep running through, never stopping to catch their breath. Sharon cursed as she could hear their pursuers gaining on them

"WHOA!"

Sharon's foot got caught on a root and she whipped out and hit her head on something. She squinted her eyes open and saw a black shadow descending down before she blacked out.

CHAPTER ONE

Nick Fury waited patiently on the bridge of the SHEILD hellicarrier awaiting the arrival of his guests. He remained perfectly still as the hum of SHEILD personel worked around him. His ear twitched when he heard one of the doors open.

"But seriously though, why the cape?"

"I am the son of Odin, a prince of Asgard, this cape represents the status and respect I've worked hard for."

Tony Stark and Thor walked into the room and paused to look at each other, Tony sizing up Thor and thinking over his statement.

"Why do you look at me so curiously?" Thor asked, feeling uncomfortable and Tony's inspection.

"Trying to figure out if I would look just as good with a cape, but maybe in gold instead of the red." And with that tony plopped himself into one of the seats at the meeting table and lounged back, comfortably crossing his feet on the table surface.

"So what do you need avenged now Fury?" Tony asked, already looking bored and restless.

"You forget that it's a team Stark, wait for the others."

"Well I figured you could tell me now and maybe I could fix the problem before you have to disturb the others." Tony began to fiddle around with one of his gadgets while Fury stayed silent, smirking slightly when thinking about what he was about to unveil to them.

A few minutes later three more arrived: Doctor Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanoff. Thor smiled and went to Bruce and shook his hand, "Good to see you old friend, how is the green one doing? Any chance for a fight?"

Bruce smiled and shook his head, "Not today, I'm keeping him dormant for now."

Ever since Thor first went up against the Hulk, it had been the first fight in a long time where he felt evenly matched, now the thought of going up against him for a grapple always gave him some anticipation.

Finally Steve Rogers showed up and took his place at the table, smiling amiably and remaining quiet while some of the others chit-chatted around him.

Nick waited a moment before turning and walking to the table, "Thank you for gathering here, I know you were all busy. We received news of an energy signature yesterday afternoon. Our sources tell us that it was similar to that of the Tesseract energy signature."

"Where is the Tesseract now." Tony said, straightening up and leaning forward in his chair, suddenly curious.

"It's here with us, our sources want to have a look at it to run some tests and see if there are close similarities. If the energy signatures are the same, we'll have to prepare for what may come next."

"What does the energy signature mean?" Steve asked.

"The Tesseract has old powers, most notably ones of destruction and the ability to move between realms." Thor spoke, looking focused and serious, he thought of where Jane might be at that moment and how to make sure she remained safe.

"We need to make sure that everything is as it should be. I wouldn't have called you in if our sources were as concerned as they were."

"And who are these sources of yours?" Tony asked, smirking a bit, "Not more of your old men in lab coats I hope."

It was Nick's turn to smile, "Very much the opposite." He reached to his communicator "Send them in".

One of the doors opened and the team looked over. Tony's eyes widened and he stood up, "Please tell me this is a joke."

Standing in the doorway was Angela Stark, Tony's younger half-sibling of 27 years old. She smiled and walked confidently over to Nick's side, "Good morning everyone."

"Seriously where's the camera crew?" Tony asked, walking around the table towards his sister.

"Hello brother." Angela said, narrowing her eyes a little and smirking at his obvious discomfort.

"You're supposed to be in school." He said, looking very put out that she was there without him knowing anything about it.

"Sit down Mr. Stark." Nick said, enjoying the flabbergasted reaction Tony was showing. The rest of the team watched them with confused looks on their faces.

"There's…. two of them?" Thor said, looking a little worried at the thought.

"Knowing Howard I'm surprised there aren't more…" Steve said.

"You said sources, not a child. Who else do you have? Her teacher?" Tony snapped out, glaring at her and Nick.

"You're calling me a child? You're the one throwing a tantrum because for once you didn't know everything." Angel bit out, glaring at him, "Pompous asshole!" She hissed.

Maria Hill walked up to Nick's other side, "Sir should we do something?"

Nick smiled, "And I was just beginning to really savor this moment." He stepped between the two warring siblings, "That's enough, go sit down Mr. Stark." He stared down Tony until he turned and sulked back to his seat.

"Where is Ms. Carver?" Nick asked Angel.

"She'll be here, she was ju-"

"Sorry I'm late!" A blonde girl jogged into the room.

"Speak of the devil, Sharon where were you?" Angel asked, looking at her disheveled friend.

"I lost a fight with the stairs, don't worry, I taught it a lesson!" The blonde smirked, "Sorry Director, do continue with wherever you were."

"Team meet the sources: Sharon Carver and Angela Stark. They will be ones who are heading this mission."

"Not happening." Tony stood, "I'm not taking orders from a couple of girls who should be in school."

"Oh come off it Tony, without us you wouldn't have known about the signature." Angel said, rolling her eyes at her idiot brother.

"Wait…. That's your bro?" Sharon said, giving him a once over, "You know he's kinda hot for a pompous dillhole."

Tony looked at the blonde with a raised eyebrow, "And who exactly are you?"

Sharon gave her signature lazy smile, "Sharon Carver, best friend extraordinaire. Pleased to meet you dillhole" She said, holding out her hand, smiling still.

The rest of the team struggled to tamper their giggles as Tony looked at Sharon's hand bewildered. Nick smiled again and then stepped forward, "Miss Stark and Miss Carver will be settling into their rooms and will begin briefing you at 1700."

With that, Fury walked out and left them behind, chuckling quietly to himself as he heard the two siblings begin to raise voices again.

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**I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it. More to come soon!**

**Alasiel**


	2. Ship in the Dock

**Dedicated to Kyla, who's love for Captain America is flawless and awesome.**

CHAPTER TWO

Sharon leaned on the table as she watched her best friend verbally spar with her half-brother. She had to admit to herself that if they weren't related, she would totally do Tony. She got bored with their fighting quickly and turned around and looked at the other team members, "Any of you mind escorting me to my room? I don't want to get lost again."

The team members looked at each other, a lot of them seemed befuddled. _If these are Earth's mightiest heroes than they must have an excellent PR rep, they all look confused as fuck…_

One of them stood up and walked over to her, he was tall and dressed in SHEILD uniform. _Wow he's hot_ Sharon thought, feeling herself heat up a bit as he came over. He held a hand to shake, "I'm Agent Barton, I'd be glad to show you around." He said with a friendly smile, "I'll even help you fight off those stairs if they come at you again."

Sharon smiled, "Well aren't you a night in shining armor?" She shook his hand, "Sharon Carver, friend of the little sis over there."

"Yeah… I don't think we saw that coming…" Agent Barton said, looking over at the siblings who seemed to be in the middle of a yelling match.

"I could tell. You all looked a little confused." She said with a chuckle. They walked out the room and down the corridor.

"So what is it exactly that you do? Energy research?" Barton asked, casually as they walked at a lazy pace that Sharon liked.

"I'm a Shakespeare major actually." She said matter-of-factly, looking around the place as they walked through corridors.

"Oh, so is your friend a scientist?"

"No, she's an art major."

It took Sharon a moment to notice that Barton had stopped walking and was looking at her with a confused expression. She stopped to and met his look with a confused one as well. "Need a rest agent?"

"Neither of you are scientists?" He asked.

"God no." Sharon shuddered. "I mean Angel likes biology, she almost became a nurse, but science and I are like oil and water. I hate it."

Barton seemed to look a little more confused, "So how did you pick up the signature."

Sharon paused a few moments before answering, "call it a feeling." She then turned around and started to walk again, "I think I see some stairs up ahead Agent Barton, I may need your fighting expertise." She smirked.

Barton smiled a little, but still was confused at this new bit of information, "Knight in shining armor coming through."

"Admit it, you can't stand that I have the upper hand for once!"

"Not until you tell me why you're here and how you found that energy signature." Tony growled back. The two of them had been yelling at each other ever since Fury left the room. Angel hadn't noticed that Sharon had left, she was too busy fighting her brother.

"Forget it!" Angle exclaimed, "That'll give you the upper hand you want so you can boot me out of this. This is my mission and I'll handle it as I see fit!"

"Speaking of handling, where the hell is Happy? I thought he was watching over you!"

"Please, took me less than a week to lose him. Nice try idiot."

"He's there for your protection!"

"He's there to keep me from doing something to embarrass you! Well too bad Tony because you're looking pretty damn humiliated right now!"

Tony glared at his sister, she could see the gears in his head working to find a way to get her out of there. She stepped forward ready to punch him when she felt a hand gently grab her shoulder.

"Okay guys it's time to take a break." Angel turned and was met with a broad chest. She tilted her head up and found herself looking into the eyes of Captain America himself.

Angel could see the look in his eyes saying that he was confused but determined to keep the two from throwing punches at each other. She let out a frustrated breath and turned and walked out the room.

She didn't care that she didn't know the way to her room; all she needed was time to cool down. She knew walking into that room that Tony wasn't going to react well to her being there. She took glee from his bewildered reaction and the power she obviously had over him. Then he had to start yelling at her like she was a young teenager who'd snuck out in the middle of the night. She felt belittled and patronized, two feelings she always felt after talking to her brother.

"Hey wait up!" She heard behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see the Captain walking towards her. She kept walking, picking up her pace a little in her determination to find a space to be alone and calm down before finding Sharon to vent a little.

Much to her irritation, the Captain caught up to her easily and kept stride without so much as a heavy breath, "So you're Stark's daughter?" He asked.

"And you're Howard's BFF." She said with a little bite in her tone.

"I wouldn't necessarily call myself that… but I knew your father when he was… well.. younger." Captain seemed unsure of how to explain it.

"No need to explain, I know all about you and you're rude awakening in the future. I hope you're enjoying it a lot more than some of us are." She picked up her pace more, turning a corner sharply and staring straight ahead.

"Well it's certainly been interesting.." Captain muttered.

"If you'll excuse me Captain, I want to go get myself settled."

"Yeah I know, I just wanted to tell you that you're heading towards in the wrong direction…" He said. Angel stopped; she felt her face heat up a little bit and a few tears well up in her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a breath to calm down, but was annoyed when she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

She heard the Captain shift beside her, "I'm sorry your brother was being… difficult."

"You can say it Captain, he was an asshole." Angel said, quickly wiping the tear from her cheek and turning away before he could see more. He grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her back towards him.

"For what it's worth, I think you're the first person I've met to pull one over on him and embarrass him like that." He said with a kind smile. Angel looked down and smiled too, "that does make me feel a little better…"

Captain squeezed her shoulder before letting go and straightening up, "Now I don't think you'll be wanting to visit the engine room. Will you allow me the honor of escorting you to your quarters?"

Angel blushed a little and smiled, "It would be a pleasure Captain." She said, turning around and going back the way they came.


	3. Findin' a Good Man

**Dedicated to Kyla, who's love for Captain America is flawless and awesome.**

CHAPTER THREE

Sharon had been lazing on her bed when Angel came in and laid down beside her friend, "So that's your bro." Sharon observed.

"Yeah," Angel said with a sigh, "Howard's pride and joy that one."

"Do you think you'll be able to handle working with him? Seemed to get pretty heated back there."

"Yeah I can, just need to make sure he knows that I'm not going anywhere and I'm in charge." Angel rolled over on her stomach and played with Sharon's hair, "Besides, I don't want to miss an opportunity to really piss him off by being right."

"It's times like these where I question whether I want a sibling or not…" Sharon mused out loud.

"I notice you haven't unpacked a single thing." Angel said with a chuckle, not surprised at her friend's laziness.

"Meh, it'll get done eventually." Sharon said with a shrug, "That Agent Barton is a real looker, nice mannered too…. I hope I get a chance to sleep with him."

Angel rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Why am I not surprised."

"Best part was when he asked me if we were scientists. I could practically see the gears in his head get stuck as he tried to figure out why two fine arts majors are the ones leading this project. I wish you could have seen his face." Sharon giggled remembering it, she liked befuddling people, especially people who think they know everything, "This is going to be more fun than I thought. How much you wanna bet they think I'm only here for moral support for you?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. You know you would have them eating out of the palm of your hand if they knew what you could do Shar." Angel said, getting up and starting to unpack her things.

"Meh, I like taking the backseat and observing, makes it so much more interesting."

"And yet making us take the long way around." Angel said.

"It builds character." Sharon said, sitting up and stretching like a cat.

"Builds character my ass. Wanna walk around the ship and see what we find? We're going to be here for a while so we might as well learn the layout." Angel asked.

"I guess, I want to run into that Agent Barton again, or even Thor…. Or Captain America… WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HOT MEN ON THIS SHIP!"

Angel paused when she heard Captain's name and felt her face go red. Sharon paused and observed her friend, "Okay, which one is it?"

"Which one is it what?" Angel asked lamely, deflecting the question.

"Which one is the one to put that blush on your face. You like one of them!" Sharon stood and walked over, "Is it Thor? Cause I'll tell you I felt my ovaries do somersaults when I saw the arms on that god."

Angel shook her head, "After leaving the bridge, I was pretty pissed at Tony and was heading in the wrong direction. Captain followed me and made sure I was okay before escorting me here himself."

"Get out, he did not escort you! THAT'S SO PRECIOUS!" Sharon squealed and gleefully jumped, she suddenly froze and gasped, "Oh my god, he's perfect for you."

Angel looked at her friend skeptically, "What are you talking about?"

"Come on Angel, the man is famous for his morals. You remember Howard going on and on about how the Captain was the most upstanding gentleman he ever knew? He's perfect for you!" Sharon grabbed Angel's hand and sat her down on the bed with her, "I know you've been picky with every guy you meet and date. You're still a virgin and you keep telling me you're waiting for the right one. You always say that you're waiting for a person with morals who's a gentleman." Sharon swept her hand out, "You just got escorted to your room by a gentleman known for his morals. PLUS I'll be he's a virgin too."

"Shar don't be ridiculous."

"Well maybe being a virgin is stretching it, I don't know what woman would turn that down." Sharon got a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Forget it Shar, I'm not going to go for the guy Howard idolized. Plus he knew my dad when they were in their 20's, I'd feel like a golddigger."

"Well technically you'd be an icedigger, but still. I don't see the problem with it" Sharon shrugged and got up, "Let me get changed and we can head out. Maybe we'll meet the man of morals on our way" She said with a wink.

Angel rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but think about what Sharon just said. She had some points, but Angel didn't want to go there. She was focusing on the mission and saving the world, not Captain America.


	4. Strange & Beautiful

**For those interested in reading more about Sharon and Angel, My dear friend and fellow writer Kyla (PyroQueenOfFire) is also writing a sister story featuring them and the Avengers called _Take Me or Leave Me_ (trust me, if you like this story you will LOVE this one).**

**We went and saw Avengers AGAIN tonight so that we can solidify our stories more while coming up with ideas for both stories AS WELL AS future stories we plan to write using both Sharon and Angel. In the few days we've been writing them we've both fallen in love with them and their interactions with the Avengers. In case you want to know, Angel is based off of Kyla and Sharon is based off of myself. YES they are keeping a few secrets that will be revealed bit by bit. I like to keep you on your toes.**

******Dedicated to Kyla, who's love for Captain America is flawless and awesome.**

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CHAPTER FOUR

After Sharon and Angela had finished unpacking and settling (well… Angel unpacked, Sharon just laid on the bed talking about her plans to set Angel up with the Captain, much to Angel's chagrin) They made their way down to the lab to look at their workspace and set it up to their liking.

The Tesseract lab was a large room roughly half the size of an airplane hangar, with the Tesseract on one end and the office equipment set up on the other. Sharon and Angel chose their desks and stored some of their things before making their way back to the bridge. They made themselves comfortable at the table while they waited for the rest of the team to gather.

One by one the members trickled into the room. Thor and Bruce sat together, seeming to be in a light discussion on fighting. Agents Romanoff and Barton walked in and sat beside one another, neither speaking to the other but both seeming comfortable.

Sharon noticed Barton eying her out of the corner of her eye and felt the hair on her neck rise a bit and her face heat up. She kept her façade calm and relaxed, her 'natural sloth state' as she and Angel liked to call it. She could tell that Agent Barton was suspicious of them and curious as to where they came in on this mission. She smirked a little, _if only he knew…_

Steve entered and sat closest to the ladies, smiling amiably, "I hope you're all settled in." He said, having eyes for Angel but lightly acknowledging Sharon's presence. She smirked again, the boy had it for her girl and she was more than ready to encourage it.

Angel smiled, "The place seems great, I'm just happy that Director Fury was kind enough to let Shar and I keep a room together, we're not fond of sleeping apart from each other." She said, looking at Sharon happily, it was rare that they spent nights apart from each other.

"Good, I'm glad you're feeling comfortable." Steve smiled.

Sharon tuned out Angel and Steve's flirting to glance around the room. She counted in her head; someone was missing. She looked again, "Angel where's your dillhole brother?"

Angel snapped out of her flirting to look around, "I haven't the foggiest idea." She said, looking around some more, feeling frustrated that Tony was late, _he's probably doing this to humiliate me_ she thought.

At that moment, Director Fury walked in, "Let's begin the briefing."

"Director, it shouldn't be surprising, but Tony is late." Angel said through her teeth, getting more annoyed at her brother's petulance.

"Mr. Stark has elected not to take part in this mission, instead he chose to fly back to Stark tower." Fury said, slightly apologetic in his tone while also sounding annoyed.

"You have GOT to be kidding me." Angel growled, turning red with anger. Sharon put a hand on Angel's and held it for a moment before leaning over to whisper in her ear. Barton watched the exchange with keen interest. It was only moments before Angel seemed to radically calm down and reclaim her demeanor. _What just happened_? Clint thought, looking at Sharon curiously. She met his gaze briefly before looking away suddenly, choosing to focus on Angel, who was beginning the briefing.

"Very well, we shall continue without him." Angel said, taking out her data disk and uploading the data onto the table computer so the team may see the mission laid out before each of them, "Yesterday evening at 2200 an energy signature was read in the area close to New Mexico. The force was much like that of the Tesseracts, but it was only brief. Normally these readings would not be cause for such concern, being that it only lasted for roughly 30 seconds. However, the strength of it may foreshadow a further problem. With the help of Doctor Banner, we would like to study the Tesseract and compare it to the energy signature for signs of gamma radiation and other significant findings."

"I would like to send Agent Romanoff and Thor over to New Mexico to look a the area of the reading," Nick said after Angel concluded her speech, "The reading was not to far off from Thor's place of entrance from his last visit. Agent Barton and Captain are to stay with Ms. Carver and Ms. Stark. Any questions?"

Everyone seemed to understand, so Nick dismissed the meeting. Everyone dispersed in their respective directions to prepare for their missions. Barton slipped down the corridor and made his way to what he called his 'nest'. It was a platform in the corner of the Tesseract lab close to the ceiling. He sat up there and gazed over the room, taking note of all the action occurring.

His eyes locked on the girls as they entered the room, more specifically on Sharon. She made her way over to her desk and sat down and resumed her relaxed pose she seemed to always maintain. She turned toward Angel and began to chat, they laughed a bit and continued to chat for a while.

Clint wondered to himself what was really going on here. They were two fine arts students who seemed to have little to no science training or knowledge. And yet, they were the ones heading the project. Even so, Angela seemed to be the brains of the operation, he'd yet seen Sharon do or say anything on the subject of the mission.

Things didn't entirely add up in his head. He assumed that Director Fury knew what he was doing and Clint trusted him with his life, but the mystery of the situation made him slightly uncomfortable.

He watched closely as Sharon let out a loud laugh at something Angel said, he felt his chest squeeze at the sound. _She is mysterious, but she sure as hell is a beautiful one at that _he thought to himself.


	5. Secrets

**Here is a short one! Another will be posted at some point today. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am!**

******Dedicated to Kyla, who's love for Captain America is flawless and awesome.**

CHAPTER FIVE

The next morning Sharon found herself at her desk in the Tesseract lab with Angela circling the Tesseract and looking at it critically, occasionally jotting a note down on her notepad.

The door opened to the lab and the girls looked up to see Steve enter. He smiled and nodded cordially to Sharon before walking over to Angel. Sharon maintained her sloth pose while surreptitiously watching the two interact.

"Good Morning Captain, how can we help you?" Angel asked with a smile.

"Nothing really, I was just checking in to see if there was anything I could help you ladies with," He said, "Mind you I'm no scientist." He chuckled.

Sharon snorted, "Neither are we." Angel threw a glare over at Sharon. Steve looked momentarily confused at the comment. Angel turned to him with a smile, "Actually you can help."

"She walked over to her desk and pulled out a file, "I read your file and the file concerning Hydra's use of the Tesseract, I was wondering if we may be able to sit down and talk about the experience and what you might remember? Unless it would be too painful for you, I know you're still adjusting…" Angel said tentatively, wincing internally that she might have said something to anger the Captain.

Steve smiled, "It would be a pleasure, maybe there is something useful in my head that we don't know about."

"That's not all that's useful about you Captain…" Sharon muttered again, fighting to keep a chuckle from escaping. Angel through a disbelieving look in her friend's direction.

"Why don't we find somewhere else to speak Captain? We can make ourselves comfortable, I don't know how long this will take." She asked, trying to use her natural charm to her best advantage.

"I have some time, how about we talk over breakfast?" He suggested.

"It's a date." Angel said with a smile.

"You bet your ass it's a date." Sharon muttered again and smirked. Angel's eyes widened while Captain looked over at her friend confusedly, "Let's go now!" She grabbed what she needed and guided Captain to the door, throwing a look over her shoulder at Sharon.

As soon as the door closed, Sharon let out an amused giggle and shook her head: her friend had it bad.

"You seem to like teasing your friend." A voice said from behind her. Sharon whirled around to find Barton leaning on the wall looking at her.

"I wasn't aware that I was going to have SHEILD agents sneaking up and spying on me," She said, sizing him up with her eyes.

"Just observing your work, I'm sure your game of tetris is detrimental to the Tesseract and needs a great mind like yours."

Sharon raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair, "I'm not allowed my amusements?"

Barton held his hands up in a peace gesture, "Just making an observation."

"An observation that questions my intellect and character." Sharon said, narrowing her eyes, "Do you have a problem with me Agent Barton?"

"I'm curious, how to two fine arts students become the heads of a science based mission." Clint said, meandering around Sharon's desk.

Sharon didn't answer, she followed him with her eyes and watched his every move, "I see, so you have a problem with being kept out of the loop. Seems like you and Tony have a lot of issues with control."

Barton leaned over her desk, placing his hands palms down on the surface and looked her straight in the eye, "I don't know what you're hiding or why you're here. For some reason Director Fury trusts you enough to head this. I'm going to tell you now that I'm going to find out why and what it is that you are hiding from the rest of us."

Sharon leaned forward in her chair, bringing her face close to Clint's until they were only a few inches away, "Bring it on cupcake."

With that she stood and walked out with a smirk on her face, leaving a dumbstruck Clint in the same spot. He smiled and chuckled, mystery or not, the girl was affecting him in more than one way…

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**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	6. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**Thank you for the reviews so far! I noticed that you all want me to write longer chapters and I want to explain my reasoning for the varying lengths of the chapters. Here is the thing: all my chapters are going to vary in length, some will be short and some will be long. This all has to do with what I want to post at the time, because there are certain scenes that I want grouped together. I'm not going to try to write long chapters all the time just for the sake of making them long, I feel like that would just be adding unnecessary details and information. I also start to lose focus when I am constantly writing really long chapters because I'm anxious to move on to the next one. Longer chapters also means that I would not be posting as often as I am: I would go from posting twice a day to maybe once every 2-3 days and I really like that I am posting consistently right now. **

**Please bare with me, I know you want longer chapters but I don't always have it in me to write them. I'm really happy you want more of the story though! It's such a huge compliment that you're asking for more, I can't tell you how appreciative I am for the reviews I have received so far.**

**Dedicated to Kyla**

CHAPTER SIX

Angel's meeting with Steve proved fruitful; as he relayed as much information he could on his experience with the Tesseract and Hydra's use of the power. While they tried to stay on subject, the conversation turned quickly to one of a friendly nature. Steve smiled at Angel's laugh as he told her about his time selling war bonds on stage; her laugh was loud and infectious and made him want to join in just at the sound of it.

"Oh my look at the time!" Angel gasped, looking at the clock behind them, "We've been here for two hours!"

"So we have, we better get you back to the lab. Would you like to continue this tomorrow? Same time?" Steve asked, hoping she would say yes.

"That sounds lovely," Angel said with a delighted smile, "It seems like we barely skimmed the surface of your knowledge."

"Just trying to help where I can ma'am." Steve said while holding the door open for her to exit the dining area. They parted ways in front of the Tesseract lab, where Angel disappeared into for the remainder of the day, jotting down notes on the Tesseract and files containing incidences involving it.

She wasn't surprised that Sharon had disappeared, knowing Sharon had probably gathered all the knowledge she needed in half the time it would have taken Angel.

She shook her head, the lives she and her best friend led were full of mystery and that was how they always liked it; them against the world. But she couldn't help but feel a bit too shrouded in the mystery, wishing she could have a little freedom to be herself without any walls up to protect herself and Sharon.

The next day, Sharon wandered to the weapons training area of the hellicarrier, happy to find it empty. She meandered the area first, getting an idea of the layout and what there was to work with. She went over to the gun area and was happy to find a sniper rifle, her gun of choice.

She picked it up and inspected it, enjoyed the weight of it in her hands and the improvements added to it. It had been a while since she used one and was keen to try it out.

She went over to the shooting range and set up her booth, hanging up the target and setting it about hallway through the room. She aimed the gun and let it sit on safety for a moment as she adjusted to it.

She was feeling more comfortable with it when she felt a warm body on her back and two hands place themselves over hers, "The thing about guns is that to make them work, you have to take them off the safety setting." Barton's voice said close to her ear, before he flicked off the safety.

At his touch, Sharon felt a familiar tingling run down her spine and through her nerves. She closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath, "Thanks for the tip, Captain obvious." She said sarcastically, putting down the gun before turning to find Agent Barton looking at her with an amused expression. She felt her face heat when she noticed his proximity, but refused to back down.

Barton's smile grew as he took a step back and walked to the station right next to her. He opened his bow and took out an arrow, then fired it right into the middle of the target. It stuck out of the middle of the target like a beacon, Barton turned to Sharon with a cheeky grin on his face.

Sharon barely lifted a brow before raising her gun and taking less then a second to aim and shoot. The bullet sliced right down the middle of the arrow, splitting it in half.

With barely a pause and without looking to see Barton's reaction, she shot eight more times at the head of the target, creating the outline of a smiley face with the bullet holes.

She gingerly set down the rifle and turned to Barton, who was staring at the target with a blank expression on his face.

Sharon couldn't contain the victorious smile that spread across her face, making her look like the Cheshire cat, "Don't feel too bad Locksley, at least you got one good shot in."

Barton turned to look at Sharon, "What just happened?" He asked.

"I believe I made a Robin Hood joke, hence calling you Locksley?"

"No I mean where did you learn that." He said, indicating the target with a nod.

Sharon shrugged her shoulders and turned around to return the gun to it's home, "Just something I picked up." She said nonchalantly, placing the gun in its hold and turning to find Clint standing mere inches from her.

He stared at her, looking straight into her eyes with great intensity. Sharon swallowed and felt herself heat up a bit. He had her trapped against the gun wall, she couldn't move around him but then again, she didn't necessarily mind his closeness.

He stared for a few more long moments, "I can't figure you out." He said in a low voice, Sharon swallowed again on her suddenly dry throat.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She said, cursing how hoarse her voice sounded. Still he didn't move, Sharon felt the tingling come back a bit more thanks to their proximity. She suddenly slid quickly around him and walked out of the room at a steady pace.

As soon as she was a good distance away from the room, she allowed herself to stop and lean against a wall to catch her breath. She held her abdomen with one arm and took deep breaths, wishing the heat of her face to cool down.

_I'm going to have to keep my distance from this guy_ she thought to herself, knowing that he was doing everything he can to find out what her and Angel's roles were in their mission.

Back in the weapons room, Clint sat down on a bench and stared straight ahead, taking in the events that had just occurred. His first impression of Ms. Carver were clearly false, as she demonstrated an aim and mastery of weapons almost as good if not better than his own.

He stood up slowly and walked over to the target, admiring her handy work on his arrow. It had been split right down the middle of the arrow, a talent very few had that he was aware of. With that thought in mind, he left the weapons room and made his way over to his work quarters, deciding to do some research on Ms. Carver and see what turned up.

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	7. Why Can't We Be Friends?

**Dedicated to Kyla, who's love for Captain America is so great that she wants to buy him and tie him to her bed.**

CHAPTER SEVEN

Barton's search was futile, as every piece of Ms. Carver he grabbed onto research lead to dead ends. He knew nothing more than he did when he first started his research three days ago after their meeting in the weapons room.

He sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair and stared at the screen in frustration. He found out plenty about Angel, but most of it was superficial information. Born to Howard Stark, who had an affair with a woman who died at childbirth, Angel was taken in by the Starks and raised by them, went to the best schools in the country, etc.

Both her and Sharon went to Yale, where they were roommates but their friendship precedes that time period. However, Clint couldn't find out when exactly the two of them met and where.

He virtually had no information on Sharon Carver other than what she told him. It was like she appeared out of thin air, and it bothered Clint to no end.

He shut off his computers and sat back in his chair thinking about how to proceed. Fury trusted them enough to head the mission. There is something that they are hiding that only Fury is aware of, something special about these two.

Sharon already proved herself to be more involved than he originally thought. She wasn't just a pretty face there to tag-along with her best friend; she had a purpose in this that no one was aware of aside from Angel and Fury.

Clint left and went to his nest in the Tesseract lab, making himself comfortable and watching the proceedings. Angel and Banner were below discussing findings on the cube; Sharon was nowhere to be found.

Sharon had been steadfastly avoiding Agent Barton, electing to spend her time in her quarters or in the lab. Thankfully, she didn't see Barton at all; whether that was a good sign or not was still up in the air.

She readied for the day and made her way over the Tesseract lab, figuring she could goof around on the computer and stay alert for any sudden changes. She lazily strode through the door of the lab; only the freeze after seeing whom else was in the room.

Angel and Dr. Banner looked up as Sharon stared warily at them, "Hey Shar, Bruce and I were discussing some ideas, he wants to use spectrometers to look for any gamma signatures world wide that may link us to the Tesseract." Angel said, she then noticed her friend looked uncomfortable, or rather very wary.

Sharon merely nodded, then quickly walked over to her desk, grabbed an empty notebook on top, and made her way back to the door, "I just forgot a notebook, carry on." She said quickly before walking out the doors very fast.

Angel and Bruce gazed at the door after it closed, "Is your friend okay?" He asked sounding slightly concerned.

"I'm sure it's just air sickness, I'll be right back." Angel said before following after her friend out the door.

From his nest, Barton noticed the strange exchange; his brows wrinkling in confusion and curiosity. He quietly slipped from his nest and made is way to the general direction he assumed Sharon would go to.

Sharon moved fast down the corridor, making her way as far from the Tesseract lab as possible.

"Shar wait!" She heard Angel call out behind her. She slowed to a stop and turned and waited for her friend. Angel caught up to her and looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, just a little caught off guard is all," Sharon said, taking a deep breath, "I didn't want to get to close to him, I don't want to know what would happen to me if I did or if I accidentally touched him."

Angel nodded thoughtfully, she hadn't thought of that either. It was a concern she should have thought of and felt stupid for not considering, "I'm sorry, the thought never even crossed my mind. The guy is so nice and gentle; you forget he's a gamma time bomb. You didn't get too close though." She said, looking worriedly at her friend who seemed a little shaken up.

"Yeah, I'm just a little surprised, I'll be fine. Go back and finish your work, I'm just going to go busy myself or something." Sharon let out a sigh and looked at Angel, "I'm fine, really. Go back to work."

With that, Sharon turned and kept walking. She soon found herself in the weapons room again. She meandered around the room, taking in all the weapons she saw and taking time in her head to think of their potential.

"He's controlled you know," Sharon turned and saw Barton leaning on a punching dummy, "He won't magically turn into the Hulk by just standing around."

Sharon cocked her head and looked at him, "You were spying on me?"

"My lookout is in the Tesseract lab, you've probably never noticed it," Clint stood and casually walked over, "It's the platform in the corner by the ceiling, I like to call it my 'nest'" he said.

"Why a nest?" Sharon asked, before remembering his codename, "So you can watch like a hawk I imagine?" She said, smiling at the name.

"That, and it's just a nice place to settle down and observe the surroundings, someone has to make sure you two don't blow this place up," He said, nudging her shoulder with his.

Sharon let out a chuckle, "Still don't trust us huh?"

"Call me skeptical, but I don't think the Tesseract is necessarily susceptible to some Shakespearean prose."

Sharon let out a guffaw of laughter, "It's better than shooting an arrow like Robin Hood at it."

"I take offense to that! My arrows do more than just shoot things!" Clint said with pride, "I designed them myself."

Sharon's eyebrows lifted, "Really? Mind showing me?"

"Sure, I'd also offer to give you a free lesson but it seems you already have a good aim." He said, noticing her smirk. He couldn't help but think about how sexy it was.

"Didn't realize you were such a sore loser Barton, never been beaten by a girl?"

"Oh believe me," Clint chuckled, "When you have someone like Natasha as your partner, you get used to having your ass handed to you by a chick." They both laughed, Clint felt a pressure in his chest listening to her and watching her smile, "Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot, wanna start over?"

"Oh really? So you're not going to try to shake out information from me?" Sharon said with a bemused chuckle, crossing her arms and leaning on one hip while looking at Baron with an amused expression.

"Oh no, I'm still going to do whatever I can to find out what it is you're hiding, but I figure why not be friendly while at it." He said with a smile on his face.

Sharon was amused at his blatant honesty, but she knew she had to keep him at a distance. _I might as well keep tabs on him so he doesn't find out too much,_ _worse comes to worse I can just use a little of Angel's help to dissuade him… _

"Makes sense to me." She said, feeling her chest squeeze at the thought of spending more time with Barton, this may prove to be interesting…

* * *

**My my my, what happens when Sharon touches people? Who is she? What is she? Why was she wary of Bruce?**

**All we be answered in due time!**

**Meanwhile... Feedback is lovely and always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	8. Sooner or Later

**Dedicated to Kyla, who is lovely and wonderful for bouncing ideas off of**

CHAPTER EIGHT

Angel returned to the lab, still feeling a little worried about Sharon. She internally berated herself for not having thought of the ramifications if Sharon were to get near or even touch Bruce.

"Sorry about that, Shar was just feeling a little airsick" Angel said upon entering the lab, stopping when she saw that they had another visitor.

Natasha Romanoff leaned against Sharon's desk; she and Bruce were staring at each other intently. They looked over at Angel as she entered, "I think I got everything I need for now; I'll go see about those spectrometers." Bruce said quietly, passing past Angel to exit the lab.

Angel looked over at Natasha with a confused expression, "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing pertinent to your knowledge." Natasha said nonchalantly, "But you are the one with more interesting secrets." She said, looking at Angel with a knowing look on her.

Angel paused, calculating her next move in her head. She glanced up to the corner of the room where Sharon had pointed out Barton's nest a few days ago.

"Don't worry, he's busy with your friend." Natasha said.

"Did Fury tell you?" Angel asked, walking slowly over to her desk and sitting down.

"I'm also a skilled manipulator, but I don't need to have mutant genes to do it," Natasha said with a smile, "I figured something was going on, since you two are not science people and yet you are the heads of the mission. But unlike Barton, I think it's just easier to ask Fury first before going about the hard way and snooping around." She said with a smirk, Barton's fixation on Sharon amused her greatly.

"So Fury trusted you enough to tell him?"

"I don't know about trust, but he was kind enough to fill me in." Natasha uncrossed her legs and stood up, walking around Sharon's desk and sitting down in her chair. She turned and faced Angel, "I haven't seen many mutants in my life, and you two are very adept at keeping your secrets covered."

"It calls for secrecy when so many view us like abominations." Angel said.

Natasha, "Trust me, if you want to talk about abominations you should talk to Banner, he's seen is fair share," They lapsed into silence as they regarded each other.

"I'm sure you can understand why we would like to keep it a secret, at least for the time being." Angel said warily, wondering if she should use her manipulation to keep Natasha quiet.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, I just thought you should be aware that I know, and that Barton is determined to find out. But he won't from me." Natasha chose that moment to stand up, "And so you know, if you use your power against me you'll find yourself in a lot of trouble later."

With that she walked out of the room. Angel let out a breath at her desk, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, _I'm going to have to talk to Sharon about this and she's not going to be happy._

At that moment, Sharon walked through the door and skipped over to her desk, "Seems that Barton wants to be friends and be more chummy but he also openly admits he's going to do everything possible to figure us out." She laughed and sat down, spinning in her chair gleefully.

"Shar where is Barton now?" Angel asked warily, glancing up at the nest in case he was listening.

"Still at the shooting range doing his impression of Legolas," She said, still spinning around absent mindedly, "I wanted to stick around and watch, he does have nice arms… But I didn't want to be to obvious so I came back here, figuring Banner would be gone."

"Shar we need to talk."

"Is it about Steve? Because you two really need to just get together already, I mean you already eat breakfast together every morning; and don't tell me that's just business, I've seen you laughing and smiling."

Angel blushed, "We're just friends…" She muttered, shaking her head and standing up and walking over to her friend. She grabbed Sharon's chair and faced her so that they made eye contact, "Natasha knows."

Sharon went pale, "How?"

"She went to Fury and he told her. She said she isn't going to tell anyone, she just wanted to let me know that she knew."

"Oh please Ang, you and I both know not to trust a word she says! Remembered when she got past Tony to work in Stark industries? Who knows what she can do with the information she holds! She's probably going to use it against us, blackmail or whatever so that she holds power!" Sharon stood up from her chair and paced around her desk, "Please tell me you manipulated her so she won't tell anyone."

"I didn't have to," Sharon groaned and Angel walked around to try to keep Sharon from pacing a hold in the floor, "She's not going to tell anyone Shar!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Sharon yelled, startling Angel. Sharon shook her head, she was shaking with anger, "This is a mistake, we need to leave."

"Would it be the worst thing Shar? I know a lot of people hate mutants, but if anyone was going to understand it would be this team. For god sake! Banner turns into an enormous green rage machine if his pulse gets too high! Thor is a demigod and Steve is a super soldier from World War II!"

"My one stipulation for being here was that no one found out what we are. What if everyone assumes we are the heads of the mission because you manipulated everyone into making us the heads?" Sharon threw her hands up and turned around and walked out of the lab.

Just as she opened the door she ran into Steve, "Whoa there!" He grabbed her by the arms to steady her, "you all right?" Sharon felt the familiar tingle run down her spine and through her nerves. Normally the feeling made her feel empowered, but instead she felt anger. She smacked his arms off her and walked away quickly, leaving Steve looking after her in confusion.

* * *

**Yes, they are mutants, I'm sure you can all guess Angel's power now. As for Sharon... Anyone wanna try and guess what she can do?**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	9. Big Girls Don't Cry

**There is a bit of romance and a whole lotta angst in this chapter. Not gonna lie, I LOVED writing this chapter because I love writing angst, it's oh so very satisfying.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who eats angst for breakfast.**

CHAPTER NINE

Steve walked into the lab, "Is something wrong with Sharon? She looked a little off-kilter."

"She just found out some information that has her worried, she just needs some space." Angel said, sitting down at her desk.

"Nothing about the Tesseract I hope." Steve said, noticing Angel looking slightly deflated.

"No… no, something that's personal to both of us. She should be fine later." Angel said, sighing and setting her head in her hands and closing her eyes for a moment.

Steve walked over and leaned on the desk next to her chair, "Want to talk about it?"

Angel shook her head, "No, I can't."

"Well I'm here if you need a punching back." He laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. Angel looked up and gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks, but I think we'll be fine…" They were silent for a moment. Angel's heart picked up a bit as she noticed their proximity; his hand was still on her shoulder. She stood up and gathered some papers in front of her.

"I should probably get these filed…" She turned to walk over to the file cabinets when she felt a hand grab her forearm. Steve pulled her towards him; he stood up and looked down at Angel, who looked away with a blush.

He gently put his hand on her cheek and turned her face up towards his. He looked into her eyes for a moment, feeling his own heart beat pick up as he noticed how beautiful they are.

Angel's heart stopped as she stared up into Steve's eyes. He then leaned down slowly and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and she moved her mouth with his, the kiss remaining light and gentle but setting fire to her every sense.

Angel's arms slid up and circled Steve's neck while his went to her waist and pulled her closer. Steve slowly pulled away to catch his breath, he and Angel were both breathing heavily, "In case you didn't know, I've been wanting to do that ever since we first met."

Angel felt her whole face blush, "So did I…" She said, biting her lip and giggling. She felt ecstatic and high, like she'd grown wings. Everything suddenly felt a lot better as he held her for a moment and kissed her again, this time letting the kiss grow a bit deeper and linger longer.

Sharon stomped into the weapons room, Clint looked up from his shooting range with a raised eyebrow, "Long time no see." He said with a smile, which faded when he saw the look of anger on her face.

Sharon didn't take notice of him, heading straight through the door that lead to the boxing ring and punching bags. She felt strength coursing through her veins; that paired with the rage she felt made her want to punch something HARD.

Clint put his bow down and walked over to the doorway of the room, both his eyebrows lifting in shock as he watched Sharon start to bare-knuckle box a punching bag. She started punching it harder and harder, sweat beginning to glisten on her face as she refused to stop punching the bag. She punched hard; even when her knuckles started to feel raw she kept punching.

Clint wandered over but kept his distance, "Yo Muhammad Ali, wanna stop to put on some gloves first? You're going to tear up your hand."

Sharon continued to ignore him and started punching more vigorously, her emotions where boiling inside her, a nasty concoction of anger, frustration, and worst of all: fear.

She punched harder, trying to focus on the bag and not the fear creeping around the edges of her mind. She didn't notice when splotches of blood started to decorate the punching bag as she kept punching harder and faster.

Clint saw the stains and moved in. He approached Sharon from the back and in a swift motion he slid his arms underneath her armpits and pulled her back from the bag in a half nelson.

Sharon let out a growl, "Let go of me!"

"You're shredding your hands Sharon, you need bandages."

"I need you to _let go_." She snarled, she then suddenly stomped on his foot and swept a leg around the backs of his knees and kicked his knees forward. Barton let out a grunt and fell backwards, pulling Sharon down on top of him as he refused to let go of his hold,

"Sharon I need you to calm down." He hooked his legs around hers, pressing her back against his front making it impossible for her to throw him off.

She struggled for a moment before going limp. Clint waited a few minutes, then was surprised when he felt her body start to shake. He loosened his grip and slowly slid out underneath her. He saw tears roll down Sharon's cheek just before she rolled over and covered her face.

Clint sat where he was a moment, unsure of how to handle the situation. He'd never handled a crying woman before, but he was concerned about Sharon. His heart squeezed as he watched her back shudder with every breath she took, then shake as she held back a sob.

He slowly gathered her into his arms and situated her on his lap, setting her head on his shoulder and gently smoothed her hair as her body continued to shake with silent sobs.

He didn't say anything, just held her close until the shaking eventually stopped all together. He looked down and saw her face was still covered, he looked at her raw knuckles, "We need to go take care of those." He murmured, pulling a hand away from her face and inspecting the torn skin that was lightly bleeding.

Her face was red and covered in sweat and tears; he wanted to know what or who made Sharon come so undone.

Sharon pulled it away and crawled out of his lap, standing and wiping her face of tears, "It's fine, I'll take care of it," she murmured, her voice deep and hoarse.

Clint stood and pulled her back towards him and looked at her, her face looking down and avoiding his gaze, "What just happened?" He asked.

Sharon shook her head, "I just needed to let off some steam."

Clint looked at her; she was still avoiding his eyes. "Did someone hurt you?" He asked, feeling anger bubble up at the thought.

She shook her head, "I needed to let off some steam and had a weak moment. I'm fine, I need to go."

"Sharon I can't just let you go without knowing why I had to hold you while you sobbed on my shoulder."

"You didn't have to do anything, in fact you shouldn't have touched me at all." She said angrily, pulling away from him only to have him step forward and pull her back.

"Is everything a secret with you? Is there nothing you can tell me?" Clint said, feeling frustrated that she kept distancing herself from him.

"You don't need to know anything, you've barely known me!" Sharon said, trying to pull away again only to have him pull her back.

"I would know you if you let me get closer than a few snide remarks and superficial conversation." He said, trying to capture her eyes, "What is so bad about me that you can't even tell me why you're upset? Am I that annoying and repulsive to you."

Sharon swallowed back a sob, "You're not the one who's repulsive, its me you're going to find abominable." With that she put two hands on his chest and pushed him away.

She turned abruptly and left the room in ground-eating strides, deciding she needed to pack and leave this place as soon as possible, with or without Angel.


	10. Ruled by Secrecy

**Dedicated to Kyla, who finds it impossible to hate me for more than 5 minutes.**

CHAPTER TEN

"She WHAT!" Angel yelled disbelievingly, staring open mouthed at Director Fury, "How did this happen!"

"Apparently she used a bit of your manipulation to charm a pilot into flying her to the mainland. We're currently keeping the pilot in his quarters, waiting for the effect to abate so he can tell us where she went." Fury said calmly, looking at his computer that was searching global cameras for Sharon Carver's location.

"Okay I get that she was mad, but she wouldn't just leave, not without me or at least informing me!" Angel said, feeling completely winded at the turn of events. She understood Sharon was afraid of people finding out they were mutants, but she didn't think she would react this way.

"We need her back here as soon as possible, without her here we have a serious disadvantage. She was last seen with Agent Barton in the boxing room." Nick looked over to Clint, who was leaning against the wall looking frustrated and concerned, "Agent Barton? Care to explain what may have occurred."

"She came into the weapons room and proceeded to go to town on one of the punching bags. I managed to subdue when I saw it was getting out of hand, then she proceeded to breakdown. After I…er… comforted and calmed her down, she stood and left, not before we argued briefly about the nature of her breakdown; which she didn't tell me." He then proceeded to glare at Fury and Angel, "Someone care to share why she had an emotional breakdown and how she managed to use 'manipulation' to get a SHEILD pilot to take her to shore and temporarily forget where?"

Angel sighed and sat down, Fury looked over to her, "I think it's time to let him in."

She nodded her head slowly before raising her head and making eye contact with Clint, "Sharon and I are mutants."

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon walked the trail in the forest until she was deep in. It wasn't safe for her to enter civilian territory, as shield would be using every camera in the area to look for her face and ID her. She'd packed enough food to last her a day or two along with other survival supplies. She figured she could trek through the wilderness for a few days until she found a remote convenience store where she could stock up for a few more days.

She tried to ignore the nagging feeling of guilt for not talking to Angel before leaving. She didn't want to be stopped; she knew Angel would have just kept her there with the threat of their secrets being exposed.

Sharon knew Angel wanted to tell people, but Angel didn't have the same fears as Sharon. Angel was sure the people would accept them with open arms. Sharon didn't feel the same way; she had her fair share of people throwing her out and running away as if she were a leper.

Sharon shook her head and picked up her pace, refusing to bring up the painful memories that surrounded her early life. She stopped when she reached a meadow and sat down. She closed her eyes for a moment and laid back in the grass.

"You seem lost."

Sharon's eyes shot open and she sat up and looked around her wildly. The meadow was empty. She sat up further and slowly scanned the area, bracing herself to make a run for it.

"Don't worry, no one is here to take you back."

The voice came from behind her; Sharon stood and whipped around. Her eyes widened as she saw a man who wasn't there before. He was tall, with long black hair and a pale complexion. He was dressed in a black suit with a cane in front of him, the head of it glowing blue.

Sharon met his gaze, "Loki."

*.*.*.*.*.

Clint remained frozen, Angel waited for a reaction of any sort, but none came. His mind was moving a mile a minute, he started putting the pieces together and coming to conclusions.

"We met at the Xavier school and became fast friends. I have the ability to manipulate people and put thoughts into their heads. Sharon's power is-"

"Marksmanship?" Clint said, remembering the time in the shooting range when she shot his arrow in half.

Angel chuckled, "Way more than that. Sharon has the ability to absorb other people's talents and powers and use them to her advantage. She absorbs them lightly when she is in certain proximity of a person, but absorbs them completely when she touches them. It's only for a brief period, duration depending on how long she's been in physical contact with the person."

"But it's very useful and powerful, as she can absorb multiple abilities at once and use them to the best advantage simultaneously." Fury added, walking around his computer and looking at Barton, "Ms. Carver was able to pick up on the energy signature when she briefly absorbed Professor Xavier's ability and found out about the incident. She and Angel decided to come to us so long as their abilities where kept secret."

"Sharon is afraid of how people will react. She's had a few… bad experiences." Angel said, shuddering at some of the incidences she recalled Sharon telling her about, they were not for the faint of heart.

Barton was silent, putting it all together in his head. Fury walked up to Barton and gained eye contact, "We need her back Barton, and it is detrimental to this mission that she is here to help. Can you handle bringing her back in one piece?"

"I can." He said, knowing in his mind he'll do anything possible to have her back where he could see her safe. He wanted her back so he could make things right and hopefully hold her again, but first he needed find her and bring her back.

*.*.*.*.*.

She knew him from the files she had read and stories she'd heard. She may not have seen a picture, but she'd seen renderings passed down through the ages of all the Norse gods, and Loki fit his perfectly.

He smiled, "You know my name."

"I know your brother." Sharon said, "Or should I say adopted brother?"

Loki watched her for a moment, "You seem to be in some distress, is there any way I may help?"

Sharon smirked, "From the god of mischief? I didn't think the word 'help' was even in your vocabulary."

"I know your secret." He said, Sharon's smile went away. She took one step back, ready to turn and run.

"Don't run, I mean to help you. You and I are not so different." He took a step forward and began to approach Sharon, "We are both underestimated by others."

"Not all," Sharon said, "Angel and Director Fury know my power, they know they need me."

"But the others don't. They all think you're a mere bit of entertainment for your friend, that you're only used for moral support."

Sharon's eyes blazed, "I'm more than that."

"I know, but they don't." Loki stopped two feet away from her; "I know that with your power, I would appreciate you day and night and never underestimate you. I'd treat you like the queen you were meant to be."

Sharon felt herself flush a bit at his flattery; while she felt complimented by his statements, she could tell he had ulterior motives and had a purpose for luring her with his charms.

"Not to beat around the bush here, but why are you talking to me in the middle of a forest? You don't look like you're going on a nature hike."

Loki chuckled, "How observant of you. I was looking for you, hoping for a moment alone and was pleased when the opportunity presented itself," He brushed a lock of hair out of Sharon's face, his hand was ice cold against her cheek, "I have plans for your planet. Your race could use rulers, and I hope to be the one to usurp that position."

"You said 'rulers', who would be the other ruler?" Sharon asked.

"You." Loki said, looking her, "With your abilities, we could rule over this planet for era's, our dynasty would last forever. You have the power to make the nine realms all fall to their knees before you."

"I'm only a glorified sponge, I soak up abilities for a only a few moments." Sharon said, shivering as Loki cupped her face with his cold hand.

"You and I both know that's not true. Even your two friends don't know the extent of your abilities, I do though," He whispered, smiling as Sharon's eyes widened, "Don't demean yourself, this world was made to be ruled, and you were made to rule it with me."


	11. This Will Destroy You

**Just so you are all aware, four days have passed since Angel and Sharon arrived. We are on the evening of the fourth day.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who enjoys torturing me in a loving manner**

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sharon inspected her surroundings with great interest, feeling somewhat disoriented from the turn of events that had occurred in the past few hours.

She'd escaped shield, trekked through the forest, before stumbling upon the God of Mischief who wanted to make her his Queen. _Since when is my life a Grimm's fairytale?_ She thought to herself, _Well… my life never really has been 'normal'…_

Now she was standing in the middle of a makeshift bedchamber in an abandoned underground mine where Loki brought her after she agreed to join him.

She looked over to the door as she saw two maids enter the room, "We've come to clean you up my lady." They said, before widening the door for a basin to be brought in and set in the middle of the room. They then proceeded to bring in several buckets of steaming water and filled the basin.

_I always was curious about Shakespearean bathing rituals…_ she thought to herself before starting to take off her dirty clothing.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel paced around the lab for about an hour, trying to wrap her head around recent events. The feeling of the weight in her stomach and on her shoulders was overwhelming, but she needed to keep moving in order to stop herself from going nuts and manipulating a pilot herself to take her to shore and find Sharon.

Steve came in and saw Angel looking frazzled, pacing the room frantically, "Hey I just heard about Sharon, any idea where she may have gone?"

"None, absolutely no idea. She usually leaves a note or gives me some notice but she didn't." She gestured to thin air, feeling even more frantic.

Something was seriously wrong that Sharon wouldn't tell her where she was going or even that she was leaving, she knew Sharon was scared, but this seemed overboard even for her. Something must have happened between her and Clint…

"wherever she is I'm sure she's fine, maybe she just needed to get away for a while."

"Well she should have told me so that I could go with her. We never leave each other, and if we did, I thought that we would at least be able to inform the other of their destination. No, something happened between her and Clint and I'm going to squeeze that hawk's neck until he tells me." She started for the door.

Steve grabbed her arm and swung her around so she faced him, "Angel you need to calm down."

"No I need Sharon back here where she's needed. Now let go of my arm," Angel said with a tug, but Steve held on.

"She's a grown woman Angel, she can take care of herself, it wasn't like she was doing much anyway."

Angel's eyes flared with anger, "Everything this mission is depends on her."

Steve looks confused, "What do you mean?"

The weight in Angel's stomach just got heavier with guilt. She felt tears well up and she realized Steve needed to know, and he was probably going to hate her, "I have something I need to tell you." She said in a whisper, leading him to her desk chair and making him sit.

"Whatever it is Angel, I'm sure it can be helped," Steve said, Angel let out a bitter laugh and shook her head.

"Trust me, it can't," She took a deep breath, "I'm sure you've heard of the mutant phenomenon that has been happening in this decade."

"Yeah, people with mutated genes who have special abilities," Steve said with a nod, the whole concept was still a bit abstract to him, but he got the gist of it.

"Sharon is a mutant. She can absorb other people's abilities and use them to her advantage, that's how she read the energy signature. We need her here to track the signature and maintain the Tesseract." She said.

Steve looked confused, "Okay… Why did she leave then?"

"Natasha found out and came and told me that she knew, when I told Sharon she got scared," Angel sighed, "Sharon had it very rough growing up, a good majority of the civilian population look at mutants like the scum of the earth, she's seen her fair share of that hatred and a lot of it has left her scarred. She was scared that Natasha would tell everyone and they would react poorly. What doesn't add up is why she didn't tell me and why she actually left. Usually we can talk things out and figure out something, but something happened between her and Barton that really set her on edge enough to leave."

"So we bring her back and figure it out, it doesn't sound like too serious a problem having a mutant on board." Steve said, grabbing Angel's hand and stroking the back of it, "After all, we have an Asgardian God and a hulk on board too, she's not alone in this."

Angel swallowed before slipping her hand out of Steve's grip, "Two mutants… There are two mutants on board." She looked him in the eye, the truth in her eyes.

Steve froze and stared at Angel, not sure how to comprehend that information, "I…. what?"

"I'm a mutant, I gained the gene from my mother. Tony doesn't have it," Angel said, looking at the floor, "I have the ability to manipulate people and put thoughts in their head."

"Wait," Steve stood and walked a few paces back, "You can make people do things? Did you use it on me?"

"God no!" Angel sobbed, stepping forward to grab his hand. He stepped away from her and walked around the desk, "I haven't used my abilities on anyone on the ship. You believe me don't you?"

"I don't know what to believe honestly. I need to go think about this…" He walked over to the door.

"Steve, please!" Angel pleaded, following after him only to stop when the door closed as he left the lab. Angel collapsed onto her knees and sobbed. _Sharon was right, they think we're abominations…_

*.*.*.*.*.

The dress Sharon was offered to wear was beautiful, a deep turquoise with delicate patterns woven in silk thread with matching slippers. Sharon smiled, "It's beautiful, but I'd really rather where my own clothing." She said.

Loki smiled, "I'm afraid your other clothing has been disposed of, and this dress is far more fitting for you. It'll make you look like a queen."

"Do you have something a little more… practical? I won't have much mobility wearing a corset and long skirts," Sharon said, feeling annoyed he took the liberty of disposing her personal items.

Loki chuckled and walked toward her, placing his hand on her cheek and touching his forehead to hers, "You're a queen, leave it to the servants to be practical," He brushed his lips on her jawline, "You'll be the most beautiful goddess of the nine realms."

Sharon's spine tingled as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Sharon's eyes widened and she stepped back, breathing a little heavily. Loki stared at her, "Was that too forward of me?"

"Just a tad," Sharon send, feeling a little winded and disoriented, "We only just met this afternoon."

"Yes but I've known about you for a while now. We are what earthlings like to call 'soul mates', we're meant to be together," He smiled and caressed her cheek once more, "Soon you'll realize it."

With that he left the room, leaving the dress on the bed for Sharon to put on unless she wanted to where the bathrobe for the duration of her stay. She sighed and walked over to the dress and looked at it, _I hope I'm not making a mistake…_


	12. Missing

**Hey folks, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who are sticking with the story and adding it to your favorite lists. It makes me so happy that so many of you are enjoying it. I also want to send a HUGE thank you to my best friend Kyla (PyroQueenOfFire), without whom this story would not have happened nor would it have gotten this far.**

**Kyla is also writing a story featuring Sharon and Angel as main characters titled Take Me or Leave Me, you should all head over and have a look at it, it is AMAZING and awesome. Kyla and I both have plans for more stories including Angel and Sharon in them, we LOVE writing about them in the Avengers universe and we have many other ideas we want to use with them. **

**Dedicated to Kyla, who understands just how much I adore photos of goofy animals**

CHAPTER TWELVE

Angel lay on Sharon's bed for a long while, salt trails from her tears dried on her cheeks and her face reddened slightly. She couldn't understand why Sharon would do this; she understood the scared part. After Steve's reaction to the news Angel wished she had kept it to herself, she wished Natasha hadn't told her that she knew about her and Sharon, she wished she hadn't warned Sharon, and most of all: she wished she wasn't a mutant.

She'd never been ashamed of herself before, but she felt a gaping hole in her chest that hurt her beyond belief. She stifled another sob as she curled tighter into the fetal position. She'd never felt so alone than at that moment. There was a reason why it was always she and Sharon against the world, why they stuck by each other and kept their abilities a secret. Now because Angel got too reckless she lost both her best friend and a man she'd really grown to care about.

She wanted Sharon back; she needed her best friend there by her side. She wished she had gone with Sharon; the thought of being in proximity with Steve when she repulsed him was unbearable. It was too late to try and join Sharon; Nick had given an order that by no means was Angel to leave the ship and gave them ear and eye protection so that they won't be manipulated. Angel wasn't sure whether to be offended or amused by Nick's precautions, but her mind shifted over to a new target: Barton.

He was the last one to see and talk to Sharon before she'd left the carrier, Angel was sure that he was connected to Sharon's departure in some form. Maybe Natasha had told Barton their secret and he confronted Sharon about it and scared her off. Then Angel remembered that he was only just informed of Sharon's secret.

Angel wanted answers. She wanted someone to explain why this had all happened. She sat up straight, a fire now blazing in her chest. She walked out of the room and made her way through the corridors with a mission in mind…

*.*.*.*.*.

Clint stood over one of the tech's shoulders as the computer rapidly searched through images taken by video camera's all over the earth hoping to capture Sharon's face. _She couldn't have gotten far without getting caught on camera…_ Clint thought, leaning forward and staring closer at the rapid flow of images passing by the screen.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards. He slammed down on the ground and felt a knee dig into his chest. He looked up and saw Angel looming over him with a determined look on her face, "What the hell did you do to her?" She growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about- AGH" Angel dug her knee hard into his chest, making him wince and grit his teeth, "She was having an emotional breakdown, I comforted her."

"You did something that drove her away and I want to know what." Angel snarled.

At that moment Steve walked into the room and saw what was happening and rushed over. He grabbed Angel and pulled her off Clint, who let out a cough and rubbed his chest where Angel's knee had been putting pressure. Angel thrashed in Steve's grasp, "LET ME GO!"

"What do you think you're doing, Angel! Clint's trying to help and find Sharon!"

"He's the one that drove her away!" Angel continued to thrash a bit.

"Look I didn't do anything! I swear, after I stopped her from punching the bag she collapsed and started to sob. I tried comforting her but then she pushed me away. I tried getting her to tell me what was wrong and let me help but she only kept pushing me away," Clint leaned on one of the control panels and sighed, "Before she left I asked her if she thought I was repulsive, if that was the reason why she kept me at a distance. She then said something about how she was the abomination. At the time the remark confused me, but after you told me her secret it all makes sense."

Angel's eyes welled up in tears, but she kept them at bay, "I see, do what you can to get her back here Agent Barton. But if you hurt her you will answer to me, don't forget that I can manipulate you into having you cut open your abdomen and pull out your own guts until you fall over dead." With that she turned her power onto Steve.

Steve noticed a faint tingling in the back of his head, next thing he knew he let Angel go. He stood there a few moments trying to figure out what just happened. Before he could react Angel had left the room.

He continued to stand there feeling confused when Clint walked up to him, "She just manipulated you." Clint said, "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah… I just never felt that before…" Steve was filled with confusion, trying to wrap around all the recent events.

"You'll be fine Rogers, excuse me while I get back to work." With that Clint went back over to the control board and continued staring at the computer screen.

Steve stood there for a moment before leaving the room, going to his quarters to sort out some thoughts and conclusions that needed reassessment.

*.*.*.*.*.

Loki approached Sharon, who wore the gown he'd given her. She looked like a goddess; it made Loki smile. He stopped in front of her and put his hand on her cheek, lifting her face so that he could gaze into her eyes.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've seen in all the realms."

With that he turned and took a crown off a pillow a servant was holding behind him. He placed the crown on Sharon's head, "My queen."

Sharon looked up at him, "My King."

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated! Don't be shy!**

**Alasiel**


	13. Strange Magic

**Another chapter will be posted soon! Hope you enjoy it :D**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who I'm currently on the phone with and bouncing around ideas**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Either the computers were going very slow or Clint was extremely impatient. He cursed as once again a tech person announced that her face had not shown up on any of the traces. Clint swore and told them to run it again, running a hand through his hair in stress.

"Problems?" Clint turned and saw Natasha standing close, watching him closely.

"You can say that again," Clint muttered, "No offense Nat, but I really don't want to talk right now."

"I figured, that's why I thought you should be informed that the pilot Sharon manipulated has finally recovered," Clint's head snapped towards her, "He says he dropped her off at the edge of a state park and she disappeared into the trees."

"Everyone stop the camera search." Clint announced, and then headed towards the corridor to go talk to Nick.

"What's the plan?" Natasha asked, following close behind.

"I will be going to land to scope the area and track her movement, you're going to stay here." Clint said.

"I'm going with yo-" Natasha stopped when Clint turned around and glared at her.

"I know you didn't mean for this to happen Nat, but you're the reason why she broke down in my arms and then left shortly afterwards. I need you to stay as far away from her as possible right now." Clint stared at her seriously; she could see that he meant business.

"Would you like me to see what we can find using satellite images?" Natasha asked, Clint nodded and then made his way to Nick.

"Director Fury, I'd like permission to go on land and track Ms. Carver from there."

Nick gave his consent, with the warning that if Clint did anything to harm Sharon or lose her again he will see consequences. Clint nodded, already knowing that if anything he will do whatever possible to get Sharon back if not for her own safety but for his own peace of mind and for the sake of Angel's sanity.

Roughly an hour later Clint found himself on forest floor, moving swiftly along the trees. He'd been dropped off and directed to the spot where Sharon had entered the forest, he thanked his lucky stars that her tracks were easily found and followed.

He continued his journey, surveying the tracks and the direction it headed. It seemed like she was attempting to get as thick into the park as possible, possibly to camp out there for a few days.

He soon found himself at the edge of a meadow, he walked out until the tracks stopped. He found a patch of pressed down grass where Sharon must have laid down. Then he noticed that she had backtracked a few steps, and that was when Clint froze. Her tracks were joined by a pair of tracks from someone else; a man's.

Clint went through his observations of the path he'd been making in his head, this was the first appearance of tracks from another individual. He followed their tracks, which disappeared midway through the meadow.

"Nat you there?" He talked into his earpiece.

"Copy that Barton, how does it look?" Natasha's voice said in his ear, he was sure she was looking at him through satellite images.

"Sharon wasn't alone, looks like she was followed here by a man, there's no sign of struggle or force. Their tracks disappear partway through the meadow, where I'm assuming a helicopter dropped a later to pick them up and fly them out."

"any evidence of what direction they may have gone?"

"None, get a team down here to assess the male's footprints and see if we can find a match." Clint looked around some more, feeling more frustrated then ever.

"Do you think it was a rendezvous point?"

"No, it's too close to civilian territory. Let's treat this like an abduction." Clint's chest squeezed, finding Sharon was going to be more difficult now.

Meanwhile in Germany…

A less imperial dress was laid out on the table before Sharon, it was black and white with a single shoulder strap. Loki had informed her that they were going to a civilian function at a German museum in order to attain some items he required.

Sharon put on the dress and sighed as the ladies maids came in and did her hair and make-up. She kept her mind shut off as she allowed the servants to do their work, no time for dwelling and what ifs, she knew her purpose now.

*.*.*.*.*.

It only took less than two hours for SHEILD to get a team to the meadow and set up a perimeter around the tracks. It took less than an hour for them to realize that there was something off about the male tracks; they sparked whenever scientists came near with magnets and tracers.

Thor entered the scene with a skeptical look on his face. He'd seen a set up like this before; only it had been for his own hammer before.

"Son of Coul," He murmured as he walked up to Agent Coulson, "Where are these tracks?"

"This way, we think they trace to a magic being, we were hoping you might be able to tell us who."

Thor approached the tracks and froze, he bent down and felt the tracks and cursed.

"Loki…"

Clint had been sitting in a tree overlooking the operation, he saw the look on Thor's face and sat forward in curiosity. Thor then looked up and met Clint's gaze, he nodded for Clint to come down and join them.

Clint climbed down and walked over, "You know these tracks?"

"Yes, they have an Asgardian magic trace, but I'm afraid that it is the one Asgardian we do not want your friend near."

"who?"

"My brother, Loki."

*.*.*.*.*.*.

"What does Loki want with Sharon?" Angel asked Thor after he informed the team of their findings in the meadow. They all sat at the meeting table in the bridge. Director Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and didn't say anything.

"Your friend has power, something Loki desperately craves. My father last informed me that Loki was in negotiations with the Chitauri for an army."

"I'm not sure what part of that concerns me more, army or the word Chitauri…" Bruce said, leaning forward with interest.

"The Chitauri are war and power seekers, they wish to take over and gain power. It is my belief that Loki has negotiated with them that he will gain an Army and lead them to war on earth." Thor said, looking sad and frustrated.

"But how will they get to earth?" Steve asked.

"The Tesseract, it has the ability to open a portal large enough to bring the entire Chitauri army to earth and take over."

"So Loki is using Sharon's power as a way of taking over the world?" Angel asked, feeling confused as to how her friend had gotten abducted by a God.

"I'm belie-"

"Sir." Agent Maria Hill called out to Nick, "We've got a positive match on Loki's face. He's in Germany and Ms. Carver is in his company."

Fury brought up the picture on his computer and stared at it a moment, "Is it possible for Loki to put spells on mutants?"

"He is a god, I would assume so," Thor said, looking at Nick quizzically.

"Why? How does she look?" Angel stood up and walked over to Nick, worried about her friend, "If he's done anything to harm her…."

She stared at the screen, her face blank and unsure of how to process it, "She's his date!"

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	14. Taking Over Me

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to post this; I had exams to study for on thursday, went and saw Avengers for the THIRD TIME on Friday (Yes that's right, I've seen it three times now and I plan to see it at least three more times. For my own peace of mind I'm telling myself I'm doing it for research and not because it's basically the greatest movie on the planet and makes me want to weep at its sheer beauty), moved out of my dorm room on saturday, had my first day of work (I got a job selling shoes at Macy's, my feet were KILLING me by the end of my shift), and today was my brothers graduation from University (we both attend the same university, I'm graduating in 2 years). PLUS it's mother's day so I was busy spending time with my mum and grandmother. **

**Anywho! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I spent a lot of time on it editing and making sure everything was perfect. I had SO Much fun writing it and I'm so excited for you all to read Chapter 15 because you get to see some epic badassery happen. **

**Dedicated to Kyla, who if I were married to would be the wife and I would be the husband**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Disoriented was a good word to describe how Sharon was feeling at that moment. Not because German speakers surrounded her; she was able to understand the language since she touched the arm of a fluent speaker and picked up their ability.

No, she felt off-kilter because before leaving for the party Loki had made her touch the arms of several different people to gain their abilities. Sharon wasn't entirely sure what all she got; her hearing was more acute, her vision was focused and clear, and she was completely aware of every movement around her and could predict movements of people before they happened.

These were only a few of the abilities she could pin point that she had taken. When she had entered the room with Loki an hour earlier, she'd been confused as to why there were a group of men standing there.

"_It's only precautionary. You have power my dear, you should utilize it to its best advantage."_ He'd whispered in her ear before guiding her over to the first man and had her touch him, then the next, and each one forward until she soaked up all their abilities.

Afterwards, Loki smiled and kissed her slowly as a sort of award. She felt full with power, but her spine and nerves had been tingling restlessly since doing so. Her hand had a slight tremor to it, so she kept it firmly on Loki's arm or holding on to her clutch while they navigated the room.

They had been there for an hour and Sharon was feeling crowded, Loki looked over at her with frustrated expression, "You're supposed to look happy, what is wrong? And why are you shaking? Don't tell me you're scared."

"I'm adjusting to all the abilities I soaked up, it takes a while for me to get used to having so many to utilize. It doesn't help that I don't know what I just contracted either…" Sharon said, feeling discomforted as her hand shook again. Loki looked at her sympathetically before kissing her hand.

"All in good time my dear, you're doing splendidly. Soon you'll demonstrate your power and show your people why they need us to rule them" Sharon stilled uncomfortably at his words. She swallowed slowly and nodded.

Sharon took a deep breath, "Would you mind if I went and got some air for a few moments, I'm feeling rather overheated with all the bodies around."

Loki looked at her in silence for a few moments before nodding and letting her hand go. Sharon left the room and walked down the corridor filled with paintings.

She was halfway to the door leading outside when she felt and tingle run down her spine again and she stopped, closing her eyes and breathing to keep herself in control. She hated not know what he'd made her take; it made her feel like a time bomb, but she didn't know what would happen when she exploded…

"Don't you look happy?" A familiar voice said from behind her. Sharon froze, air caught in her chest and her mind freezing. She hadn't been aware of his presence and was annoyed that her guard had been down.

Clint walked around to the front of her. He was wearing an all black uniform, holding his bow in his hand while his arrows were strapped to his back. He stood and looked her up and down, "That's some dress Shar."

"Yes well, Loki wants only the best," She said quietly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I can see that," Clint said, remaining silent while Sharon tried to keep it together, he was going to ruin everything.

"If you'll exc-"

"What are you doing here Shar? Did he force you here? Because you don't look very forced." He said pointedly, looking her over again with an expression of distaste. Sharon kept her mouth shut and ignored Clint's questions.

"You know Angel is worried sick about you, you should see what she did to me when she found out I was the last person to speak to you," He rubbed his chest with a chuckle. Sharon felt tears well up at the mention of Angel, she missed her friend more than anything and it hurt her to know Angel was freaking out.

Clint stared at the emotions that flashed in Sharon's eyes, "What are you doing here Shar? You're with a freakin Asgardian demigod for chrissake!"

"Clint stop, you don't-"

"If you finish that sentence with 'understand' I will personally shoot an arrow in your gullible ass. You're damn right I don't understand! You need to get out of here."

"No that's what you need to be doing, this is bad." Sharon felt a sweat break out on her forehead, she breathed a little heavier and closed her eyes as she tried to get her bearings together.

Clint looked at her, she seemed pale and sick, he noticed her hands had been trembling, "God Shar, what did he do to you?"

"It's nothing," She said, backing up before he could touch her, "I need some air for a moment. You have to get out of here, call your SHIELD agents back. Please Clint."

"Like hell I'm doing that. You're coming back with me."

"Clint I'm staying with Loki. Tell Angel I'm fine and that I love her."

"You've been gone for less than two days and you already look ready to drop dead, let me take you back to SHIELD. Come back to where you belong."

Sharon scoffed, "SHIELD! That's where you think I belong? I've barely been there a week, and in that time I found that I was right all along and shouldn't have trusted Fury with my secrets. That is not where I belong."

"You don't belong here Shar, You belong with m-" Clint stopped himself. He shook his head in frustration, the words were out and he felt idiotic for saying them.

"With who Clint? With you? You don't even know me Clint. You know nothing about me, that's not enough. This is something I have to do." Sharon leaned on the wall as the tingling in her spine continued, making her feel dizzy and tired.

The power build up inside her was enormous as her tremors started to get harder to control. She needed to let it out but she needed to be alone to do so; there was no way in hell she was going to let Clint see that.

"Not if it kills you it's not." Clint grabbed Sharon's arms, the tingling sensation overwhelmed all of Sharon's senses and her knees gave out and she fell to the ground.

"Shar!" Clint dropped to his knees to pull her into his embrace, but she pushed him away. However she used some power behind it, and Clint slammed into the opposite wall hard. It was a good 10 feet away from her, he laid there a moment in shock before getting up and turning to look at the dent in the wall he'd made, "What the hell?"

He made a move to go to Shar when a loud crack resonated in the room, "I wouldn't move if I were you." A voice said from down the hall.

Clint turned and saw Loki standing there in his formal garb; his cane left a crack in the floor where he had slammed it down.

"What did you do to her?" He said menacingly, his fingers itching to pull out an arrow and shoot it straight through Loki's skull.

"I think the questions should be worded as what did I do for her," Loki moved towards them. As Loki got closer, Clint moved to stand in front of Sharon who was still on the floor. She was breathing heavily but her eyes were open and watching their exchange.

Loki stopped a few feet away from Clint and looked at Sharon with disgust, "Get up, you're embarrassing yourself kneeling like a weak and puny slave."

Clint saw red and pulled out an arrow and aimed it, not before Loki whipped his cane out and slammed Clint in the side, sending him again into the wall and leaving a large crack in the plaster.

While Clint reoriented himself, Loki started to shimmer and shine as his formal garb shifted into his Asgardian clothing. His cane grew longer and morphed into his scepter, the tip of it glowing bright blue and reflecting off some of the picture frames.

Loki moved his scepter to aim and shoot at Clint, but he was knocked off his feet and slid down the hall several feet. He sat up and looked to see Sharon crouching low near Clint, her eyes glaring with anger, "Try that again and it will be your last move." She growled.

* * *

**Chapter 15 will be posted soon! Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	15. Fighter

**I had way too much fun writing this chapter, I'm bouncing with glee in my seat in anticipation of everyone's reactions to this chapter. I really hope you all love it as much as I do!**

**Dedicated to Kyla: who, like me, believes that women are just as capable, if not more, or kicking ass and saving themselves rather than wait for their white knight to come along and rescue them.**

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Loki stood up, "You dare challenge me? After all I did for you?" He slammed his cane down again, "I got you out of that godforsaken hovel they had trapped you in, I found you in the woods when you had no one. I treated you like a queen, dressed you like a queen, and now you're defending THAT!" Loki spat out, his voice growing more menacing and angry by the second.

The next words out of Loki's mouth were easily predicted by both Sharon and Clint, "If I can't have you, nobody can." With that he swiftly pointed his scepter at the both of them and shot another beam of light.

Predicting this, Sharon grabbed a picture from the wall and used it to take the force of the shot. She threw the remains of the destroyed piece away and grabbed Clint's bow from his hand.

She swiftly moved to Loki and slammed the bow across his face heavily. He stumbled back a few steps before swinging his scepter around to her side. She blocked it using her arm, barely feeling the hit. _Looks like I stole a hell of a lot of strength and indestructability from someone _she thought as she grinned and grabbed the scepter.

She tugged him forward and wrapped an arm around his neck, holding on there for a moment before strongly spinning him around roughly and throwing him into mid air. Then she jumped up, grabbed the back of his robe, and slammed him into the ground hard.

Loki went still on the ground; Sharon went over to Clint quickly to check to see if he could move. He was staring at her with a wonderstruck expression on his face, she couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face, "I'm not so helpless as you seem to believe." She stated, feeling a little proud of herself and relieved to have gotten to use some of the power that had been building up. She flexed her knuckles a bit and cracked her neck, the tremors were now gone and she felt better than ever.

Clint stared at her a moment more, "I just won three grand from Coulson."

Sharon looked at him with a confused expression, "Because I beat up Loki?"

"No, because I finally found someone who could give Natasha a run for her money."

While this exchange occurred, Loki slowly stood up and quietly grabbed his scepter. He aimed it at Sharon knowing that the blast should incapacitate her long enough to take out Barton and make his escape with her and keep her locked up until she could be controlled.

Loki made the shot, but the blast seemed to only go through Sharon rather than hit her. Loki was confused; it should have knocked her right off her feet. Then her image started to flicker before disappearing entirely. Loki was completely frozen and shocked; the scepter was out of his hand before he could know it and aimed at the base of his skull.

"Didn't know I could do that, could you?" Sharon's voice whispered in his ear. Suddenly, a dozen or so copies of Sharon appeared before his eyes; all of them smiling snarkily with scepters aimed at him. He hadn't realized that by kissing her and touching her so often he'd been letting himself get absorbed by her so that she could use his duplication ability against him.

Clint wondered if both the hits he had taken were starting to affect his vision as he saw the small army of Sharons surround Loki. All of them suddenly let out a laugh before disappearing again, leaving only the one behind Loki with his scepter.

"Thought that just because you're a god I couldn't absorb you? What is with all you men and underestimating me? This is just insulting now." With that she smacked his head with enough force to knock him unconscious.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel was waiting anxiously on the bridge for Sharon's arrival. She'd heard briefly what had occurred in Germany but was so overwhelmed with relief that Sharon was returning she didn't care about anything else. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Steve's entrance into the room.

Fury entered the room then and approached Angel, "Their plane has just landed, and guards are now escorting Loki to his cell."

"I'll go find Sharon." Angel made a move to leave the room but nick stopped her.

"She's being quarantined right now, you're going to have to wait a bit before you can go see her."

"Since when does SHEILD quarantine their personnel? I've never seen anyone do so after being in contact with Thor who is also an Asgardian." Angel was confused; something must have happened that she hadn't heard about.

"When we arrived to the scene it was obvious that Sharon was suffering from an unhealthy buildup of power within her. Apparently Loki had made her absorb several different abilities. It seems that it has overwhelmed her and she needs to be kept in an isolated area without human contact in order to let out some of that build up without absorbing anymore abilities. Now because neither of you let us examine your abilities, we have to wait to find out what exactly happened to her from her when she is better." Nick said, sending Angel a pointed stare warning her not to attempt to get close to Sharon, "You should be able to safely see her by tomorrow evening."

Angel nodded, but she felt fury rush through her veins, "Thank you sir." She said stiffly before swiftly exiting the room. _Loki will be in his cell by now, that gives me about fifteen minutes of alone time with him before Fury has a chance to go see him_ Angel thought as she rapidly made her way that direction.

She was walking at a steady pace when an arm shot out and grabbed her bicep. Angel let out a squeak before a hand covered her mouth and pulled her into an empty room. She manipulated the person to drop their hold on her then moved swiftly to roundhouse kick them in the face.

"ARGH!" Steve cried as Angel's foot came in contact with the side of his head, "It's just me!" He cried, moving to close the door while rubbing the sore spot on his head, "Jesus you pack a solid smack."

"Steve what the hell do you think you're doing! You scared the shit out of me!" Angel yelled, a small part of her feeling guilty for having hit him but not enough to feel sorry for it.

"Stopping you from doing something really stupid!" He yelled right back, glaring at her while still rubbing his head.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"You were heading to see Loki weren't you?" Angel's silence was all the answer he needed, "Leave it to SHEILD."

"After Fury so easily told Natasha our secrets which made Sharon run away in the first place? I don't think so, SHEILD has done enough for us. It's my job to fix what they screwed up," Angel said fiercely.

"It's not their fault Sharon ran away scared. Maybe if you had been honest from the beginning about yourselves maybe we wouldn't be having this problem."

"Sharon and I can't afford to be honest about ourselves, not when so many look at us like we're atrocities." Angel felt her throat tightened, this was the first time her and Steve had really talked since she'd revealed herself to him. It was clear to her that thought of her the same way so many others did: she was a monster.

"Get over yourself Angel, you think that just because you're different that makes you worse off than everyone else? Look at Banner, any time his pulse gets up he morphs into a raging machine. Your own brother has an electronic device imbedded in his chest to keep him alive!" Steve's voice was getting louder with each point he made, "For god sake! I was a nobody before I got shot up with super soldier serum and then got incased in ice for seventy years! SEVENTY YEARS ANGEL!"

Steve went quiet, he shook his head, "Everyone I know is dead, I don't belong in this time and yet here I am. You think you're so different from all of us? Open your eyes and look around, you're not the only one who feels that way." With that Steve left the room, heading towards the boxing room next to the weapons area to let off some steam.

Angel stood in that room for a long while, tears sliding down her cheeks rapidly but no sobs or cries escaped from her. After a long while she took a breath and wiped away the tears and left the room. She went to the medical area and approached a staffer.

"Is there anyway I can just look at Sharon? I just need to see that she's here, for my own peace of mind."

The staffer noticed the forlorn expression on the girl's face and nodded sympathetically at her, she guided Angel down the hall to a room that had a window that overlooked Sharon's room.

Sharon was asleep on her bed, hooked up to a few monitors that beeped and whirred every so often. Angel stood at that window and stared at her friend, wishing more than anything she could go in and climb into bed with her.

Instead she just stayed at that window and waited, refusing to move and vowing to manipulate anyone who so chose to try and take her away from there.

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	16. Awake and Alive

**I feel incredibly dumb, I just realized that I've been spelling SHIELD the wrong way -headdesk-. I apologize for the mistakes and I hope you all can forgive me for doing so, it's one of those things where my mind is going "I after E but not before C" which is the dumbest rule EVER!**

**Anyways, next chapter will be up soon! I LOVE the reviews I've been getting, they make me so happy and I've been sharing them with Kyla (PyroQueenOfFire) and she's incredibly excited too. We both have big plans for Angel and Sharon in future stories.**

**I hope you aren't all hating Steve too much after the last chapter. In all honesty i think he deserves the most sympathy out of everyone in the Marvel universe. Everyone he knows is dead and he is in a completely different century and time period than what he is used to. He really is a sweetheart, he does good for the sake of being good. I only wish there were more people like him in the world.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who cuddles my feet for me**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Sharon swam through blackness for what felt like years in her mind. She slowly became aware of her body, the pulses of energy went through her veins regularly. She felt as though the power was draining out of her body and she wasn't exactly sure how that was happening.

Her eyelids were heavy but she slowly opened her eyes, taking them time to open them completely and adjust to the lighting in the room. The beeping she'd been hearing was from the monitors that were surrounding her bed.

Her limbs felt incredibly heavy, she tried to lift an arm but it didn't budge. She strained to lift her head and saw that all her limbs were strapped down to the bed, making it impossible to move. Sharon attempted to use some power to snap them, but that only made the draining feeling seem stronger.

"Don't try using your power, it'll only exhaust you." Said a voice from a speaker on the ceiling. Sharon looked up and saw Nick Fury standing in the window staring at her.

"We had to sedate you so you could recover from the power buildup you had in your body. Want to relay how that buildup occurred?"

Sharon cleared her throat, but her voice was still hoarse from disuse, "Loki had me touch several men and absorb their abilities. Normally that isn't an issue, I can absorb as much as I like. However, he made me keep the power in for over an hour. I can't hold it in that long without getting weak and sick, it creates a build up. It is my belief that if I let it build up I sorf of self-destruct."

"That could be dangerous." Nick said, is face still expressionless, "You are being restrained because you are under investigation as of right now Ms. Carver. You willingly went with Loki and stayed with him. I am here now to question as to why you did so and what happened when you were with him during that span of time."

Sharon nodded; she wasn't surprised at this news. She had assumed this would happen when she first joined Loki, knowing SHIELD was going to be suspicious and accuse her of treason and whatnot.

Then Fury cleared his throat, "Now because of the ass-whooping you gave to Loki, I think I can safely assume that you were not on his side in all this business. Am I correct?"

Sharon nodded, "He was there to procure Iridium, I don't know what it was for though. While I was with him all I found was that he plans to rule the earth, and he wanted me to help him."

"Why did you go with him?"

"I knew from hacking into your system that who Loki was. When he first came to me I assumed it was for a purpose, so I went with him to find out that purpose and then thwart it."

"I'm going to kindly forget that comment on 'hacking' our system." Fury said, but a small smirk appeared on his face, "Did you find out what his purpose was?"

"I believe he intends to bring an army to earth so that he can rule it. The energy signature I read last week was his portal he used to enter earth. I already know that it was only a small portal, but I can't imagine how he could get an army to earth using a portal that small."

Fury nodded, "They are called the Chitauri, Loki has made a promise to give them the Tesseract in exchange for earth. While you and Barton had your exchange in the hallway, Loki used that time to drill into the eyeball of the building manager so that his men could break in and steal Iridium. They are using the iridium as a stabilizing agent in a machine they will use to open a large portal for the Chitauri to enter. Loki plans to steal the Tesseract in order to complete the portal and open it."

"Where is Loki now?" Sharon asked, feeling concerned for the safety of everyone.

"We're keeping him in a detention cell on board. If he makes one wrong move, the cell will plummet out of the bottom of the carrier and fall back down to earth at a speed that should do some serious damage if not death," Fury shrugged, "He's a god so we don't know if it would necessarily kill him, but it will sure scare the shit out of him."

Sharon smirked at the thought, "And the Tesseract?"

"Still in the lab, being monitored closely by banner and surrounded by SHIELD guards."

"Where is Angel? Why isn't she with the Tesseract?" Sharon asked with concern.

Fury smiled and shook his head, "Your friend hasn't left this window since you first came. I had to practically drag her kicking and screaming out of here so that I could question you."

Sharon smiled and sighed with relief, she knew Angel was being a mamma bear, "Why hasn't she been in the room? Is it because I'm being restrained?"

"No, we needed some of the power inside you to be depleted so you could return to health. Having other bodies in there with you would create and imbalance as you would be trying to get rid of energy while soaking up other people's. It should be safe in a couple of hours for people to join you in there. For now just rest a bit longer Ms. Carver. I think you earned it."

"Thank you Director." Sharon said groggily, deciding to take his advice and close her eyes and drift into a dreamless sleep while her energy pulsed out of her less frequently and her body relaxed.

What felt like only moment later, Sharon slowly became aware of two feet settled beside her head. Her arms and feet were no longer restrained, but her feet felt comfortably bound and warm. Sharon opened her eyes and lifted her head and a wide smile grew on her face.

Angel's head was at the foot of her bed and she was sleeping, cuddling Sharon's feet close to her like a teddy bear. Sharon always loved having her feet cuddled, it was something she and Angel discovered when they were forced to sleep on a single mattress for a few nights and Sharon woke up one night to find Angel cuddling her feet. Since then it was something Angel would do to comfort Sharon. Others would find that behavior odd and disconcerting, but for them it was a close feeling of love and devotion to each other.

Sharon slowly moved the toes of her right foot to poke and prod Angel's boob, giggling as Angel stirred a little. She continued to do so until Angel's eyes opened slowly and looked down at her chest in annoyance. Sharon couldn't hold it in and fell apart in giggles.

Angel sat up quickly and moved to the head of the bed and watched her friend shake with laughter on the bed; Angel tried to put on a stern face, "You'd think I'd be woken up a lot nicer after having kept vigil for more than 24 hours, but nooooooo you had to go for the boob poke."

But Angel couldn't keep the stern expression any longer and quickly hopped back into bed and wrapped her arms around her best friend, "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

Sharon calmed down and wrapped her arms around Angel too, "I'm sorry Ang, I got scared and ran."

Angel nodded, "Next time you decide to pull a disappearing act promise you'll leave a not and not go with any strange demigods."

Sharon chuckled, "I promise, now tell me what I missed."

* * *

**Chapter 17 will be up tomorrow! feedback is always appreciated and loved!**

**Alasiel**


	17. Our Truth

**Dedicated to Kyla, who got me shawarma last night to try (those who have seen the Avengers knows the significance of Shawarma)**

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It was another day before they finally let Sharon leave the room, and by then she was teeming to get out and do stuff. She and Angel spent their time in her hospital bed talking about what had happened with Angel and Steve. Sharon reacted with appropriate shock when Angel told her about Steve's reaction, but something didn't entirely add up there. Steve seemed like the kind of guy not to discriminate mutants. After all, she knew that his own squad back in WWII was one of the most culturally diverse ones they had. She just needed to get rid of Angel for about an hour so she could find Steve and have a chat with him.

Sharon begged Angel off when they left the medical ward, telling Angel to go see Bruce about the Tesseract so that they're up to date on it. It took a few minutes of arguing and negotiating, but Angel finally agreed with a pout, "Okay but I'll only be a few minutes and you better not do anything stupid."

Sharon chuckled, "You know me, I can't not do anything stupid."

Angel rolled her eyes and left. Sharon stayed where she was a couple minutes before heading off towards the weapons ward. As she entered the area she could hear a pounding sound resonating from the boxing area.

Just as she expected, Steve was going to town on one of the punching bags. He had a tense expression on his face while he continued to punch harder and faster at the bag until he eventually punched it so hard that the bag tore off it's hook and flew across the room, slamming against the wall and letting out some sand from an open seam.

He stood there a moment before walking behind him to a row of punching bags and grabbing a new one and hooking it up so he could continue with this routine. As he started to punch that bag, Sharon looked over and raised her eyebrows when she saw an entire pile of beat up punching bags in the corner of the room, there had to be at least a dozen of them in that pile.

With that she wandered over slowly, "Nice right hook Captain."

Steve paused but didn't turn, "They finally let you out." He stated, there wasn't much of an inflection in his voice, but Sharon could tell that he just didn't want people around right now.

"Yeah well that's what happens when you return to health," Sharon said as she meandered closer then walked around the bag to face Steve, "I think you and I should have a chat."

Steve didn't move, "I don't see why that is necessary." He punched the bag hard so that it swung close to Sharon. She didn't budge; instead she grabbed the bottom of the bag and held it in that position so that Steve couldn't hit it again.

"Believe me, this conversation is completely necessary," with that she swung the bag back at Steve with a little force so it caught him in the abdomen, sending him back a couple steps. Steve looked at Sharon incredulously and saw that her expression left no room for joking, she meant business.

He sighed and walked over to a bench nearby and sat down, starting to unwind the tapes on his knuckles, "Well we might as well have it out right now."

"I'm not here to yell at you Steve."

"But this is about Angel, correct?" Steve said, refusing to meet Sharon's gaze. She nodded even though he wasn't looking at her. She leaned against the hanging bag and looked at him a moment.

"Does the name William Stryker mean anything to you?" She asked, Steve shook his head no but kept silent.

"He was one of the leaders of humans who see mutants as a pest. They call themselves the Purifiers. He believed that mutants were souls corrupted by Satan while we were in the womb, that it was Satan's plot to destroy human kind with the creation of mutants. He believed that it was his mission to eradicate all mutants from the face of the earth."

"Sounds like he had some prejudiced issues," Steve said, Sharon smirked and nodded.

"One of my first memories is of my parents giving me to Stryker, him promising to reform me and make me pure. For the next 6 years I was kept in a top secret facility where they performed painful tests and kept me separate from everyone else. On a daily basis I was told that I was an abomination, unclean, corrupted, an atrocity. However no matter what they did, I still had my power and it did not diminish."

Sharon paused and watched Steve, his face was still blank but he was clenching his fists until his knuckles were sheet white, "I was seven when Stryker gave the order to have me executed. I was literally being strapped to the table for the lethal injection when a mass break out occurred. I didn't see whom but someone came into the room and killed all the orderlies and sliced my bonds so that I could leave. I ran with the crowds of others outside where there was a helicopter waiting for us."

Sharon shifted a little, "It took us to a private school just for mutants, it's called Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

"I've heard of it," Steve said, "I did some research a few days ago, it sounds like quite a place."

"I thought that I must have been dead. So many kind people who all encouraged my power and told me to embrace who I was, I was sure that only death could bring me such peace and love. However after seven years with Stryker I was convinced that I was a demon and should be put to death. That was when Professor X introduced me to Angel."

Sharon watched as Steve's face changed, as soon as she had said Angel's name she saw compassion fill his face, "She stayed with me and made it her mission to constantly remind me that I can be whoever I want and that I am not an abomination, that I deserved to live. She had come there after tricking her father and brother into believing that it was an elite private boarding school, she didn't want them knowing about her abilities. From that day forward we were hardly ever separate from each other. We stayed at the school and became teachers, occasionally leaving the school for short periods to travel the world and enjoy life."

"Sounds like you found your happy ending," Steve said quietly. Sharon sighed and walked over, taking a seat on the bench beside Steve.

"Since my time at Stryker's, I have an innate fear of how people will react to us when they find out who we really are. That's why I asked Director Fury not to tell anyone. When I found out he told Natasha, I panicked."

"And you ran," Steve said, looking at Sharon sympathetically. She blushed and shook her head.

"That wasn't the only reason I ran…" She said quietly, it dawned on Steve at that moment.

"You and Barton?"

Sharon sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "I don't let men close to me, Angel is the closest anyone has ever gotten and I like it that way. However, she doesn't necessarily fulfill my needs if you know what I'm saying…"

Steve waved his hands in front of me, "I don't need nor to I want to know about those needs."

Sharon couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction, he really was a man of true morals, "Anyways, Barton was pushing to find out my secret and I didn't want to tell him. Then he was there when I broke down and I panicked because I didn't know what to do about a man getting so close and personal with me. So I left."

"And got yourself kidnapped by Loki?"

Sharon rolled her eyes, "What is with you men and giving me the damsel in distress treatment? I went with him willingly, I wanted to find out what his purpose was so I played along and acted like his doll."

Steve was impressed, he hadn't given her enough credit at the beginning but now it was dawning on him just how important she was. She was able to get close to the enemy and get information SHIELD needed, that was more than anyone else had been able to do.

"We're off topic, my point is that I think you and Angel should talk things out. She's convinced that you hate her." Sharon said.

Steve's head snapped up and met her gaze, "That's what she thinks! What on earth would give her that idea?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's you making dust the moment she told you who she was and not taking time to let her know that you don't think she is an atrocity…" Sharon said, giving him a pointed look.

"I was in shock, I didn't know what being a mutant meant and I wanted to have time to figure it out in my head. I guess in all that I didn't think to pause and tell Angel that my feelings hadn't changed…"

"AHA!" Sharon jumped up and pointed at Steve, "So you admit it!"

"Admit what?" Steve asked, confused by Sharon's outburst.

"You admit you have feelings for her!" Sharon bounced in place in her excitement.

"Of course I do! I wouldn't have kissed her if I didn't! What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Trust me Cap," Sharon said, "In this century a guy will do just about anything to get into a girl's pants.

"Get into her what!" Steve's eyes widened. Sharon laughed at his bewildered expression and sat down again, patting his shoulder.

"Look, as far as I can see it you have a LOT of groveling to do. She thinks you don't like her and her self-esteem is shattered because of it."

"What do I do?" Steve asked, wanting to do right by Angel and hoping Sharon would help him out.

"I'll think of something, in the meantime try smiling at Angel and being your usual upstanding self. That shouldn't be too hard."

With that she stood and skipped out of the room, feeling excited that things were going to get better for Angel and Sharon would get to play cupid while at it.

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated guys!**

**Alasiel**


	18. Fall to Pieces

**Dedicated to Kyla, who is sitting across from me looking lovely as ever as we discuss ideas over starbucks**

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Angel was circling the Tesseract making notes on a chart and conferring with Bruce when there was a sudden jolt that made everyone stumble. Angel looked at Bruce with concern but he waved her off telling her he was fine. Again there was another jolt and Angel fell on the ground after losing her footing.

"What the hell?" Angel muttered but was flown back when there was an explosion at the entrance of the lab. Angel crashed into a wall and fell to the ground. She looked up and saw Loki enter the lab with his scepter in hand.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Angel growled, moving to get up but Loki aimed his scepter at her.

"I would stay down Ms. Stark," He said, an impish smile growing on his mouth, "I replaced myself with my dear brother in the cell, which I believe is plummeting down to earth as we speak."

Angel gulped as she tried not to think what would happen to Thor once he hit earth, "If you think you can-"

"Oh I don't think, I know Ms. Stark," Loki said while walking over to the Tesseract. He beckoned one of his men over with a briefcase who then kneeled and proceeded to take the Tesseract from its place and put it in the case, "I would love to stay and chat, but I think in a few moments you'll find your hands rather full."

With that Angel looked over to her left and saw Bruce lying about 10 feet from her, writhing on the ground. "Bruce?" She whispered, her eyes widening as she realized what was happening to him.

Loki's smile grew, "I'll hurry things along just for you."

With that he aimed his scepter at Bruce, "NO!" Angel screamed but it was too late. A blue beam of light shot out from the scepter and hit Bruce in the back. Within seconds and growl emitted from his chest as a sickening cracking sound resounded from his body as it started to grow and turn green.

Angel's eyes grew round as we watched Banner transition into the Hulk, who let out a resounded roar. His transformation completed just in time for Loki to make his escape out the way he came and leave Angel to fend for herself.

Thinking quickly, Angel darted across the room and went straight for the rope that hung down from Barton's nest. The Hulk was smashing the science area, distracted enough to give Angel time to climb up the rope and into the nest. Her notebook fell out of her pocket and clattered loudly on the ground below, catching the attention of the Hulk who then saw Angel climb into the nest.

Natasha entered the lab at that point and froze when she saw the Hulk charging towards the nest he could easily reach with one jump. Before he could make that jump, Natasha whipped out her gun and fired two shots in the air to get Hulk's attention. He turned and saw Natasha standing there with the gun in her hand and changed direction. Natasha ran for the nearest heating vent, shooting at it so that the grate would loosen and she could kick it in. she slid down the shaft just in time for Hulk to get there and start tearing at the opening of it.

While this occurred, Angel left through the door beside the nest and ran through the corridor. She needed to get to Sharon and make sure she was okay and find out where Loki was going.

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon entered the bridge and ran to Fury's position where he was shouting orders at everyone. Apparently Loki's team was able to fly close enough to the helli carrier and shoot a grenade into one of the engines, lodging debris into the rotators and stopping it all together. They weren't losing altitude fast, but they were going down hard.

Seeing all this happen Sharon ran over to one of the techs and took their headset from them.

"hey!"

"Get Tony Stark online NOW!" Sharon ordered, waiting impatiently for the tech to put her through.

"This is Stark!"

"Listen Dillhole, I don't care if your pride is shattered. Our enemy just took out one of SHIELD's engines and we're losing altitude. If you know what's good for you than you'll swallow your damn pride, put on one of your stupid suits, and come and save the ship your sister is on!" Sharon yelled. Handing the headset back to the orderly before she could hear Tony's response and walking up to Fury, who had a smirk on his face.

"Thank you Ms. Carver," He said.

"Anytime Director, where do you want me?"

"Right where I can see you, Loki is out of his cell and he might be looking for you now."

Sharon swallowed, "sir with all due respect, I can take him."

"And with all due respect that was when you had absorbed a ton of power, which you no longer have. You'll stay right here until the situation is under control."

Sharon sighed with frustration, feeling like once again they were underestimating her.

*.*.*.*.*.

Natasha moved swiftly and quietly through the underbelly of the Tesseract Lab. It was like she was playing whack-a-mole with the Hulk. Every so often she would pop out of a floor grating or a side panel and fire a few shots at Hulk, then disappear before he could get to her.

She was able to keep this up for a good half-an hour before the carrier jolted suddenly, bringing down a section of grating on top of her so she couldn't move. She tried to move out of the grating but was too late when she felt a large hand grasp her and pull her up. She then found herself face to face with the Hulk.

Natasha swallowed, "Bruce I need you to calm down and see that it is me. It's Natasha!"

Hulk sniffed and growled a bit, he was too far-gone and out of control to recognize her. Just when it seemed like he was about to hurl her across the room, a wall to their right exploded and something flashed by and hit Hulk in the head. Hulk let go of Natasha, who hit the floor. She was ready to get up and run when a piece of debris struck her in the head and knocked her out cold.

*.*.*.*.*.

Steve had suited up and was running to the engine that had blown, hoping that he could find some way to make himself useful and get it up and working again. He was standing on the edge of the damaged area looking out on the clouds when Tony appeared in front of him in his suit.

"Nice threads Cap." Tony said, Steve smiled.

"Not looking to shabby yourself Stark. Tell me what I can do to help."

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel couldn't find Sharon in any of the usual places, everything and everyone was in chaos at the infiltration. She decided to move to the engine what had been destroyed, knowing she could manipulate something to help it get up and working.

As she walked down the corridor she saw several men in black surrounding the area, shooting out into the damaged area, someone was shooting back at them. Angel stopped and assessed, knowing immediately in her head that these were not SHIELD personnel.

Her eyes widened when she saw a flash of the red, white, and blue shield she knew so well. Making a quick decision, she moved up behind the shooter closest to her, she put a hand on his exposed arm and manipulated his body to drop unconscious. She then grabbed his gun and began to shoot the others. Between her and Captain all the men were unconscious within seconds.

She then moved out into the damaged area and saw Steve standing on a ledge across the way from her, he'd have to have used some of his agility in order to hop over there and make the distance.

"Angel get back!" Steve called out to her, but Angel rolled her eyes and made a couple leaps and swings from exposed pipes. She landed gracefully next to Steve with a small smirk on your face.

"Seriously, what is with you men and making women out to be helpless?" She said, taking her earpiece out of her pants pocket and putting it in her ear.

"Cap what's happening over there?" She heard her brother's voice in her ear.

Angel's eyes widened, "Tony what are you doing here?"

"Hey sis, your friend was kind enough to send me a delightful invitation to this event. Will you let me concentrate on getting this ship flying again now?"

"Tell me what you need, Steve doesn't know modern day electronics."

"You're not going to help me here Ange, get back on the ship and find a secure location. I need to clear out the debris and kick start this thing."

"Have you cleared the debris?" Angel asked, ignoring Tony's demand for her to leave. Steve was looking impatient and confused.

"I just got the last of it, I just need Rogers to-"

"Tony get out of there." Angel said, before leaping up to the electronics panel and slamming a hand into it. She manipulated the power to fix itself and restart the engine.

"WHAT THE!" Tony yelled before Angel heard some clanging in her ear. Obviously he hadn't listened and didn't get out of the turbines.

"Steve flip that red lever beside you!" Angel shouted. He did so and it slowed the turbines down long enough for Tony to make an escape. Angel had a smirk on her face as Tony flew up to where she was. His suit was scratched and scuffed, some sparks were shooting out of the stabilizers in his hands.

"Next chance I get you and I are going to have a very long chat about how you learned to do that." Tony said before flying off to some other section of the ship.

Angel smirked, she was suddenly looking forward to that conversation; one that she had been avoiding for several years now.

* * *

**All your feedback has been excellent so far! Keep it coming! It's always appreciated and makes me feel happy.**

**Alasiel**


	19. Here in Your Arms

**Dedicated to Kyla, who will probably call me after reading this chapter thereby waking me up and squeeling my ear off as soon as I pick up**

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Fury kept his back to the table as people filed in bit-by-bit and sat down. After a few moments he turned and took an internal head count. Angel and Sharon were sitting together with Steve and Tony sitting across from them; Tony was sending glares towards Angel who kept silently chuckling to herself. Clint was left leaning on a wall close to the table, his eyes on Sharon who was staring at the table.

Fury walked up to the table and put his hands on a chair, "After getting out of his cage, Loki managed to trap Thor in it and send him out of the helli carrier. Lucky for us, Thor had his hammer and was able to break out of the trap before crashing to earth. He then flew up to the helli carrier and started fighting with the Hulk, who later went after one of our planes and was thrown down to earth. Thor went after him and we haven't had contact with either," Nick stood up straight, "Agent Romanoff is now in a coma after a severe head trauma she received after being dropped by the Hulk when Thor attacked. The prisoner succeeded in not only escaping but also taking the Tesseract with him."

Fury sighed and shook his head, "As of right now we are hopelessly outnumbered. It is my hope that we can work together to get back Banner and Thor and go after Loki as a team. We have pin pointed the location of the portal device Loki has created, we need you to get there and stop them from opening the portal and bringing the Chitauri to earth."

Tony shrugged, "Sounds like an easy deal. Loki is a diva, he wants a place where everyone sees him and what he does, a monument to himse-" Stark stopped talking and his eyes widened, "son of a bitch."

Everyone looked at him confused when Angel suddenly burst out laughing and nearly fell off her chair clutching her sides laughing.

"Someone mind filling the rest of us in on the joke?" Steve asked, getting frustrated at the siblings odd behavior.

"Loki is using Stark Tower," Tony said through gritted teeth while Angel continued to laugh in her seat.

"God I never thought that ugly ass thing was going to come in handy for anyone. And it turns out to be the best resource for the bad guy," Angel said between guffaws, having a hard time reigning in her laughter. Sharon started to chuckle a bit herself.

"Aren't you supposed to be my supportive little sister? Not a little demon who tries to get me killed in turbines and laughs at my misfortune!" Tony pouted in his seat a little.

"Hey, I gave you a warning before turning them on!" Angel said with a shrug.

Tony scoffed, "You gave me less than three seconds before turning the damn thing on with me still in it!"

"Yeah well I never did believe that slow and steady won the race." Angel said with a chuckle. Sharon let out a laugh beside her and shook her head.

"You're such a bitch Angel," Sharon said with a laugh, finding amusement in the sibling squabble that was occurring.

"Alright, alright," Fury said, "Play time is over, Stark I want you to approach the tower and see where they are at with setting up the portal. Agent Barton will be right behind you in a jet holding Rogers, Ms. Carver, and Ms. Stark who will all descend to the tower. One they land Rogers will stand guard as the ladies turn off the portal and take back the Tesseract while Stark gets Loki. With any luck Thor and Banner will get there and will help us out. I want us all ready in one hour."

With that, Angel and Sharon stood and made to leave the room. As they walked around to leave the room Angel's eyes met Steve's. To her surprise, he smiled at her and waved. Angel lifted and eyebrow and looked away and left with Sharon.

"What the hell?" Angel said out loud as they walked down the corridor.

"What?" Sharon asked.

"Steve just randomly smiled at me."

"That's sweet of him."

"No it was like a weird smile, like one of those robots about to sing 'it's a small world after all'."

Sharon's eyebrows came together and she thought it over, "That doesn't sound weird at all…"

"Yeah it was kind of creepy."

"Maybe he's trying to get back into your good graces. He's probably nervous."

"Oh yes, because a smile is totally going to make up for everything." Angel said with a laugh, rolling her eyes. They went straight to their quarters where they found their new SHIELD uniforms. They were black leather skintight suits that were flexible for them to be able to move around and fight in.

"I'm going to the weapons room to get some fire power on my person, meet you at the jet?" Sharon said, Angel nodded as she checked to see if the suit was fitting her right.

Sharon went down to the weapons room and took her time looking at her options and weighing the possibilities. In the end she strapped thigh holsters on her legs and stuck a couple handguns in the holsters with a few magazine clips so she would have plenty of ammo.

She was tinkering around with a sniper rifle when Clint walked in. She didn't notice his presence until she looked up and saw him staring at her intently from the doorway.

"Are we ever going to talk about what happened in Germany?" He asked. Sharon looked away and continued tinkering with her gun.

"You know I'm rather fond of the saying what happens in Germany stays in Germany…"

"That only applies to Vegas," Clint said as straightened up and walked over to the archery wall, grabbing some arrows down and an extra bow to store on the jet as back up, "I don't want you getting hurt today Shar." He said quietly.

Sharon sighed, "I'm going to be fine, Fury wouldn't send me out if he didn't think I couldn't handle it."

Clint knew that, but he still couldn't get the picture of Sharon lying on the floor in that hallway back in Germany, sick from the power build-up and growing pale and shaking. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to gather his senses.

Sharon continued playing with the gun to keep her occupied when she felt two hands grasp her shoulders and spin her around. Her breath was caught in her throat when she saw how close Clint was to her. She didn't have time to dwell on it when he ducked his head down and crushed his lips to hers.

Sharon's heart stopped in her chest as everything disappeared around her. Clint started to move his mouth against hers, urging it open and letting his tongue slide into her mouth and play with hers. Sharon let out a moan and circled her arms around his waist as Clint cradled her head in his hands and kept drinking her in. They held each other close as they continued the kiss like it was the only thing that would keep them alive.

Clint slowly pulled away from her and tried to catch his breath. Sharon closed her eyes and breathed heavily, all of her senses being completely overloaded from the kiss. Clint gently placed his forehead against hers and breathed deeply, "Promise me you'll stay alive."

Sharon opened her eyes and met his, "I promise." She whispered.

He kissed her hard that time, before suddenly letting go and leaving. He looked back over his shoulder before exiting, "We're going to have a long talk after this mission is finished," he said, then smirked, "Don't think that I'm going to forget."

With that he left the room, leaving a completely breathless and stunned Sharon leaning against the counter her sniper laid on abandoned.

It felt like hours when she finally was able to get her body moving as she packed up her sniper and made her way to the jet. Once she boarded she stored the sniper and sat next to Angel quietly.

Angel lifted an eyebrow as she looked over her best friend, who seemed flustered and out of breath, "You feeling alright?"

Sharon nodded, "Just anxious to get going."

Angel nodded in understanding and looked to her side and saw that Steve was watching her. He smiled again at her; Angel's eyebrows wrinkled together in confusion before looking away feeling confused by his sudden odd behavior. She could tell that he looked a little nervous that time and her heart squeezed. She was too scared to let him get close, but she missed him so bad.

* * *

**-sigh- I do love a good kiss, it's always my favorite part of any story. Don't you all feel the same?**

**Alasiel**


	20. From Out of Nowhere

**Dedicated to Kyla, who's shown me how to use gimp so I can now photoshop my own photos of Clint and Sharon! I will be posting those soon and I will give you all the links to them as soon as possible!**

CHAPTER TWENTY

Tony got to Stark Tower before anyone else. He hovered above the portal device while it was starting up; he then attempted to destroy it with an energy blast. However there was a protective force feild around the device that deflected the blast and knocked Tony back several feet.

While Tony was recovering, the device let out a strong beam of light into the sky that slowly opened the portal. Tony looked up and watched as Chitauri soldiers entered through the portal and flew down to earth like a swarm of bees from a hive.

"Right…. Army…" he said before flying up and starting to fire at the soldiers, "Barton you copy!" He yelled into his radio.

"Please tell me that is not a portal I'm looking at Tony," His sister's voice rang through the radio.

"Tell Barton to shoot as many as he can, don't let them get past three miles of the portal opening." Tony commanded before shooting a few more.

Angel turned to Clint, "The Chitauri are entering earth rapidly, we need to try to bottleneck the opening as much as possible."

They flew up close to the portal entrance and began rapidly shooting at the entering soldiers. Sharon opened the back of the jet and set up her sniper and began shooting the soldiers who were farther away and getting past the jet and Tony.

There was a flash of green through her scope, Sharon looked up and saw Loki riding one of the Soldier's pods and heading rapidly up to the jet.

"Clint lookout!" She screamed but was too late, Loki fired at the right engine on the jet. The plane jolted suddenly with the blast, Sharon slid off the back end and dangled out of the ships opening with one hand holding on for dear life and the rifle in the other.

"CLINT!" Sharon screamed as she held on for dear life.

"SHARON HOLD ON!" Clint yelled as he tried to maneuver the falling jet that was rapidly descending down on Manhattan. Sharon tried to keep a hold but the speed was too much and she lost her grip and screamed.

"NO!" Clint yelled. Angel quickly slammed a hand on Clint's head and manipulated him to keep flying the jet.

"STEVE!" She yelled, but he was already five steps ahead of her and had a parachute strapped to his back. He leapt out of the jet and went after Sharon who was rapidly falling, he caught up to her and grabbed her close before letting his parachute out and guiding them to the top of a nearby building.

Sharon took a moment to center herself before giving Steve a quick hug, "Thank you," She said.

Steve smiled and patted her on the back, "Trust me, without you I wouldn't have a chance with Angel."

Sharon couldn't help but chuckle, "So you saved me for the sake of your love life? Good to know cap."

"No that's not what I meant-" Steve sputtered out but Sharon held up a hand for him to shut up.

"I'm just kidding Steve, now lets take down some Chitauri." She said as she went to the building's edge and set up her rifle.

Back on the jet Clint did the best he could to maneuver the jet as it crash-landed on a street. He and Angel unbuckled their seat straps and grabbed their weapons before exiting.

"Sharon and Steve landed on that building over there." Angel said indicating the building she saw them land on. Clint nodded and touched his earpiece.

"Shar do you copy?" He said.

"I'm right here, Cap and I are taking care of the action from up here." Sharon's voice said in his ear. Clint let out a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice.

"Stay there and maintain your position, Angel and I will take care of the ground. And don't forget your promise you made!" He said, feeling his chest squeeze when Sharon chuckled.

"I gotta get my adrenaline rush somewhere." She said before the connection ended.

Clint turned to Angel, "Thank you for what you did, manipulating me to stay focused. I needed it."

"Yeah well, I wasn't about to let you ruin all our chances of beating the Chitauri. As adorable as it was that you freaked out over Sharon, I'd rather like to stay alive and get a chance at my own happiness as well."

Clint smiled, "Alright, let's get down to business."

Several things happened within that next hour. Thor made his way to Manhattan and joined the team. He and Cap joined Clint and Angel on the ground fighting the soldiers who made it to the ground and were trying to wreak havoc on the city. Sharon remained at her post taking out enemies until she ran out of ammo.

She was unholstering her other weapons when she heard a loud groaning coming from the portal entrance. She looked up and her eyes widened almost like a cartoon character when she saw what looked to be a gravity-defying spiny space whale floating through the entrance and descending to Manhattan.

"Uh…. Guys?" She said into her radio, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I'm seeing," Said Tony, who flew towards the space whale trying to figure out it's weak points, "I'm still working on believing."

That portal needs to get closed Sharon thought to herself, knowing only she and Angel were the only ones who had the best shot of closing it. With that she made a quick decision and jumped from the building, landing on one of the Chitauri pods that was speeding by. She threw off two of the aliens and climbed on the back of the driver, stabbing two blades into its back so she could control the pod through the alien.

"Uh Shar, what are you doing?" Angel's voice said over the radio.

"Oh you know… improvising?" Sharon said as she awkwardly maneuvered the pod to head towards Stark Tower.

Having heard this exchange Clint looked over at Angel after shooting several soldiers down, "What's going on?" He asked her

"Nothing you want to know about without being manipulated to stay calm," Angel said as she took out several soldiers.

It was that moment that they all paused when they heard a motorcycle pull up. Bruce got off the bike and looked at his surroundings.

"Well… this all seems… horrible…" He said.

Angel smirked, "I've seen worse."

"How's Natasha?" Bruce asked, looking concerned. Angel's face fell a little.

"She's in the medical ward in a coma." She said, feeling sad when she saw the look of devastation cross Banner's face.

"I'm sorry Banner, as soon as you help us out here we can take you to her," Steve said, not entirely understanding the situation but having an idea that there was something more between Bruce and Natasha than he had expected.

"It's just as well, this will make for some good motivation…" With that Bruce turned and morphed into the Hulk in a seamlessly graceful move.

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon hopped off the pod and landed gracefully on Stark tower. She looked over the portal device, seeing that the force field was preventing anyone from getting close to the Tesseract. From what she could tell, the only way for it to be shut down would be for someone to press the switch located just below the Tesseract. She decided that the computer would tell her what to use and started to move towards the computer when she felt a hand on her back.

"I've been waiting for you," Loki's voice said in her ear as she felt a sting in her neck as and blacked out.

* * *

**Yes I know I'm evil for the cliff hanger. Reviews are better than candy! I love hearing your feedback so please review and tell me your thoughts!**

**Alasiel**


	21. Paralyzed

**I had so much fun writing this chapter, I love how it worked out so well and am really happy with it. I hope you all love it as much as I do!**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who goes to Starbucks with me to trade story ideas and we come up with our best material from those meetings.**

CHAPTER TWENTYONE

Angel was concerned, she hadn't heard anything from Sharon in over half an hour, "Has anyone heard anything from Sharon?"

Clint and Angel looked around but no one seemed to know anything about Sharon, "Last I heard she was heading to Stark Tower," Steve said after taking out several soldiers with his shield.

"Steve We're going to need a couple boosts from you," Angel said, preparing to make a run and leap into one of the flying pods so she and Hawkeye could get to the tower and check the situation.

Steve looked at Angel and nodded, "Fine but first things first," He strode over to Angel and picked her up.

"DON'T THROW ME AT THEM!" Angel screamed, Steve only chuckled and lowered his mouth to hers so they could share a quick kiss.

"Just so you don't get the idea that I'm not totally in love with you," Steve said with a grin and setting her down. Angel stared at him a moment with her mouth hanging open.

"You love me?" She said.

"Sorry if it seems to fast for you, I just wanted you to know before you left. I hate knowing that you think I hate you when really I'm completely crazy for you." Steve said with a blush.

"As adorable as this all is guys, can we get a move on? My own girl might be in trouble," Clint said impatiently. Steve and Angel shared one more quick kiss before he boosted both of them in the air.

Angel and Clint grabbed on to the same pod and quickly took care of the soldiers on it. They rode up to Stark tower together and formulated a quick plan.

"I'm going to drop down onto the penthouse level to see if there is suspicious activity while you go to the roof and look at the Tesseract. If you're lucky that is where Sharon is and you two can work on the portal." Clint said as they approached the tower. Angel nodded and watched as Clint gracefully leapt down to the penthouse level while she continued to the roof.

Clint entered the penthouse slowly from the deck, his bow at the ready with an arrow pulled back for a quick shot at whoever may jump out. Having never been in Stark's place before he was unfamiliar with the territory. It all looked to be intact and nothing out of place. However there was a large dome in the middle of the room that had a slight glow around it.

Clint approached the dome slowly; the cover was white with a small window on the side closest to him. His breath was caught in his chest as he saw what was inside the dome.

Sharon was lying on her side in the center; she was frighteningly pale and limp. Anyone would have mistaken her for dead if Clint hadn't noticed the shallow breathes making her chest barely rise and fall.

"Brilliant isn't it?" Clint whirled around and saw Loki standing a few feet from him, a proud smile was on his face.

"What he hell have you done to her now?" Clint growled, gripping his bow tight as his muscles were ready for him to make a shot at any moment. He then pressed a button on his bow that turned on his radio piece so that it transmitted everything to Angel on the roof.

"Nothing I haven't done before. I stopped her from closing the portal with a human sedative. Then when she came to I had about twenty of my men touch her so she would absorb them. Then I placed her in the dome, I had it constructed so that it keeps the power in her, and she can't let it out. You and I both know that the buildup in her is making her weak. So by keeping her in the dome, it paralyzes her and keeps her from getting in the way."

Clint lifted his bow and aimed it at Loki, "Let her out now," He said in a menacing voice, "Or I'll skewer your head to the wall."

"Now why would I do that? She's the only threat I can really see. Even if I did let her out, all that power build up will have to go somewhere and I promise you I will be a safe distance away to watch what happens to you when that occurs." Loki said.

"So you're killing her?" Clint asked.

"No not at all, only keeping her under control until she is reasonable and joins my side as rulers of this planet."

"We'll take you down. You've managed to piss off every single one of us, there is no end where you end up on top. You've made it our mission to take you down, and we won't stop until it happens." Out of the corner of his eye, Clint saw a flash of movement.

Having heard the entire conversation, Angel made her way down from the roof to the penthouse level. She had a plan to free Sharon but not before getting Loki's scepter, which was the key to closing the portal and turning off the Tesseract.

She slid into the room quietly, manipulating the floor to make her footsteps soundless. She eventually got on her belly and effortlessly slid close to the dome, manipulating the floor once again to make it slick as she got up close to the dome.

She put a hand on it and made the dome open.

Loki's head whipped over to the dome, his eyes widened as he watched it opening, "How is that happening!" He hissed before marching over to it.

Angel popped up from her position on the ground with a smile, "You know, for a demigod you sure are easy to fool."

"You insolent cretin!" Loki screamed as he aimed his scepter at her, but was suddenly knocked backwards into the concrete wall.

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon's eyes slowly opened when she felt cool air surround her. Tremors rocked her body as the power pulsed through her entire system with no way of escaping, paralyzing her and making her immobile.

Sharon saw the dome open around her, the pressure she had been feeling that kept the power inside her was suddenly gone. Noise was muffled in her ears, but with blurry vision she saw Clint and Loki standing a few feet from her. She watched as Loki yelled something and then pointed his scepter at Angel who was standing beside the dome Sharon had been lying in.

Sharon's vision went red, dredging up all the power in her system she launched out of her position and slammed herself into Loki. The two flew back into a concrete wall that then shattered. They tumbled a bit before landing, Loki on his back and Sharon on her knees a few feet closer. She leapt up and grabbed one of his ankles, channeling all the energy into slamming him on the ground and whipping him back and forth like a drum stick.

"DON'T YOU EVER THREATEN THEM AGAIN!" She screamed as she continued to bash him a few more times on the ground before leaving him stunned on the floor with his breath coming out in gasps.

She walked through the whole she'd made in the wall and grabbed the scepter on the ground. She stood there a moment and looked at Angel and Clint, who were both staring at her with looks of pure shock on their faces.

"So are we gonna go close this thing or what?" Sharon said as she stood there with the scepter in hand. Clint made a move to go to her but Angel grabbed the back of his shirt and stopped him.

"Now is NOT the time to do the heroic kiss thing. Save it for when she isn't drunk on power," Angel said, "Let's get to the roof."

*.*.*.*.*.

The group waited on the roof of Stark Tower, Sharon was poised with the scepter just over the switch for the portal. Tony had just radioed them to tell them about a nuke the council had launched towards Manhattan without Fury's consent. He was directing it to go into the portal so that it would take out the Chitauri mother ship.

They all waited with bated breath as they watched Tony fly into the portal with the nuke. He hadn't come out yet and Angel was starting to panic. Sharon was waiting for a sign of him when they all saw the flash of the nuke hitting the mother ship.

All around the city the soldiers fell over dead, the space whale crashed into several buildings as their life support system back on the mother ship was destroyed. Sharon knew she needed to close the portal before the blast came through the opening and took out a section of the city.

"Close it Shar," Clint said, Angel started to sob and fell to her knees. Sharon felt a weight in her chest as she pressed the switch with the scepter and the portal closed. The entrance than started to disappear slowly from the sky.

Just as it was about to close entirely, an object came out and descended to earth, "ANGE LOOK!" Sharon shouted.

Angel looked up and saw that it was Tony, who was falling rapidly from the sky, "He's not slowing down! The suit isn't working!" She cried, running to the edge of the tower to watch where he was going to land.

Clint looked and saw a decisive expression on Sharon's face, "Shar don't you dare-" But it was too late.

Sharon used all the force and power possible to leap off Stark tower, flying through the air and catching Tony. Just as she braced herself to take the impact of their landing, Hulk came out of no where and caught the two of them. They slid down the building and he placed them on the ground gently.

Sharon breathed heavily as she ripped off Tony's mask and looked at his unconscious face. She could see that his arc reactor wasn't running, which was a bad sign. She was exhausted, but she put both her hands on the reactor and sent a wave of energy into his body.

She felt his chest move and a gasp escape his mouth before she fell over to her side and saw spots before succumbing to the familiar blackness.

* * *

**Do you think Sharon is going to survive? What about Loki's fate? Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	22. Wake Me Up

**I've had a couple crazy long work days so if I'm slow on posting that's why. I hope you're all enjoying it! **

**Dedicated to Kyla, who almost made me laugh till I threw up yesterday when I read her latest chapter out loud as if it was a bad 50's sitcom.**

CHAPTER TWENTYTWO

It was a familiar feeling when Sharon lifted her heavy eyelids and saw she was in the same room as she was the last time she had a power build up. She was groggy but she was happy to tell that there weren't any restraints on her this time.

She turned her head and was surprised to see Clint in a chair right beside the bed, sleeping while still in his uniform in the battle. He looked exhausted, he hadn't shaved: there was the starting of some serious facial hair that Sharon thought looked a little sexy. She felt her chest squeeze at the sight, she was beyond touched that he was there watching over her.

A door opened that moment and Angel walked in, looking clean and put together. Angel gasped when she saw Sharon's eyes open and rushed over to the bed.

"Shhh," Sharon said, indicating to the sleeping Clint and not wanting to disturb him. Angel gave her a shaky smile and hugged her close, holding on to her best friend tightly as she held back tears of joy.

"We were scared you weren't going to recover this time." She whispered as some tears escaped. Sharon was still weak but she was able to hold Angel a moment, rubbing her back to comfort her worried friend. They stayed like that a few moments before Angel pulled back and stroked Sharon's hair lovingly.

"You've been out for almost a week." She said. Sharon's eyes widened as that information sunk in. Angel nodded at Sharon's bewildered expression.

"Sharon have you been holding back on telling us everything about your power?" Angel asked quietly, watching how Sharon's face turned red and she suddenly looked away.

"There are things that I can do that even frighten me…" Sharon said silently, looking pained for a moment as she fought the memories from her earlier life she had blocked out. Angel knew that look well and decided to drop the subject even though she felt sad that her friend was in such pain and she couldn't help her because she didn't know how.

"Well I should probably get stinky out of here. He's refused to leave the room since you were brought in. I'm not even sure if he left to use the restroom…" Angel said with a face, not wanting to imagine that picture.

She walked over to Clint's chair and kicked the leg hard so the chair jolted. Clint sat up quickly and looked around for danger.

"What! What's wrong?" He asked.

"Many things… your general unsanitary being is near the top of that list…" Angel said, backing up a few feet dramatically as if to escape some terrible odor, "Your sleeping beauty is awake." She said gently as she indicated towards the bed.

Clint looked over at Sharon who had laid back on the pillows, she smiled softly at him, "Hey Hawk," She said, her voice still slightly hoarse and groggy. Clint stood and walked over to her bedside, gripping the railing tightly as if he was scared to touch her as he gazed at her intensely, the emotion in his eyes was intense and full. Sharon looked away and blushed as he kept looking at her.

Angel awkwardly cleared her throat, "I'm just going to give you two a minute…" She said before exiting the room.

The room was deafeningly silent aside from the beeping of the monitors surrounding her bed. Sharon bit her lip and looked up at Clint who was still watching her intensely.

"So…" She said awkwardly, not entirely sure what to do.

"I hate seeing you in this bed." Clint said silently, his grip on the bed railing made his knuckles white as he restrained himself from reaching out to hold her close to him.

"You mean… you were there the last time?" Sharon asked, trying to remember if Clint ever stopped in to see her the last time but she couldn't recall.

Clint nodded, "I was the one to catch you when you passed out, I brought you here and was kicked out. Angel then came and stayed, so I watched whenever she wasn't looking or was asleep."

Sharon had a hard time swallowing as her mouth went dry and her throat got tight. She had no idea Clint had been there. The kiss they'd shared was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't get it out of her head.

"You know… if you grip that railing any tighter you might snap it off." She said.

Clint loosened his grip a little, "I need to hold on to something so I don't touch you," He said while looking away, his face growing a little red, "I don't want to hurt you after all that energy buildup you absorbed."

Sharon's heart stopped as he mentioned her absorption. Sharon had known for a while that Clint was aware of her as a mutant, but she wasn't ready to talk about it with him. It was her goal to avoid the subject for as long as possible until she had to find an alternative means of escaping that conversation.

"I think it'll be fine now," She said quietly, looking up into his eyes, "to touch me that is."

Clint looked her in the eyes while he slowly brought a hand up to lightly rest on her cheek. Sharon closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, the tingle that ran down her spine felt delicious and wonderful. It flowed throughout her system and made her entire body feel warm.

Clint brought his face down and pressed his cheek to hers, closing his own eyes and he breathed in her scent. She smelled delicate, like lilacs; it was beautiful and intoxicating to him. He nuzzled his face into her neck as she did the same to his.

Sharon inhaled Clint, finding the bitter smell of metal and dirt on him more comforting than expected. He needs a shower, one that I wouldn't mind joining in on… her dirty mind thought, Sharon rolled her eyes at her own perviness.

She opened her eyes at that point and saw Angel watching them in the window. Angel made eye contact with Sharon and gave two thumbs up. Sharon's eyes widened as she raised a hand to wave at Angel to leave. Angel was too excited for her friend and picked up a small piece of paper she had and wrote something on it in sharpie before holding it up.

TELL CLINT DON'T BE A FOOL AND WRAP HIS TOOL

Sharon's eye twitched as she read the sign. Angel laughed maniacally and left the room just as Clint lifted his head when he felt Sharon grow tense.

"Everything okay? Your eye is twitching." Clint asked looking concerned. Sharon waved him away.

"I'm still a little tired. I think I'm going to sleep a bit," She said, settling back against her pillows.

Clint stood up and made as if to sit in his chair again, "What do you think you're doing?" Sharon said, "As sexy as that outfit is and I like the stubble, you need a shower."

Clint looked down as his disheveled clothes and chuckled, "yeah… I've been putting that off for a while."

"I don't want to see you till you're in fresh clothing," Sharon said, chuckling as he rolled his eyes and walked back over to her.

"Alright, but I'll be back later," He said before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

Sharon laid against her pillows with a sigh, the moment they'd just had was more than anything she'd ever shared with any other guy before. The kiss on the forehead made her heart lurch.

She'd never been in a real relationship before, normally with guys she stayed with them for about two-three weeks before leaving them. She openly admitted that she let guys use her just as she would use them. It was an arrangement that never bothered her and kept her physically satisfied.

Sharon had a feeling that Clint wasn't going to go for that kind of relationship. The kiss on the forehead told her he was looking for more than that, and Sharon definitely felt like the wrong person for that job.

She sighed again as she pushed her hair out of her face and closed her eyes, deciding she was going to figure it out in her head later after she recovered.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel skipped down the corridor and hummed happily to herself. Not only was Sharon finally awake, but when Angel left they were having a very tender moment. Angel saw a look on Sharon's face that she had never seen before and Angel knew exactly what it was: Love. Her friend was falling hard for Clint Barton, and it made Angel ecstatic.

She skipped to Steve's quarters and enthusiastically knocked and waited for him to answer while she bounced in place. When he finally opened she launched herself at him and hugged him tight around the neck.

"Whoa there!" Steve said with a chuckle, "What's all this?"

"Sharon's awake!" Angel said as she squeezed Steve tight before letting go, "And she and Clint are finally getting their heads out of their asses and having a moment."

Steve smiled at Angel's perkiness, "That's great, looks like she's going to be alright."

"It's even better than alright! Her and Clint will be together and she'll finally have someone! I've been waiting for this to happen forever! I'm so happy she's finally letting someone besides me get close to her!"

Angel was beside herself with happiness for Sharon. Steve's smile grew and his chest tightened as he watched Angel glow with happiness. He let out a chuckle and placed his hands on her waist to stop her from bouncing off the walls.

"Careful before you hurt yourself there."

"I'm too excited to be careful! Everything is turning out right! The world is safe, Sharon is awake and alive, she's letting someone get close, and you and I have figured things out!" She raised herself up and kissed him, "I'm so glad we finally talked the other day."

A couple days ago Angel had been out of her mind with worry for Sharon, it had been over three days and she still hadn't woken up even after doctors cleared her for visitors. Angel had been having a rather large moment of panic when Steve found her in her quarters.

"_She's not waking up!" Angel cried as she paced back and forth in the room. Steve stood in the doorway and felt his heart break as he watched tears stream down Angel's face._

"_She's still recovering Ang, it's going to take time."_

"_what if she never wakes up? What if I lose her?"_

"_We'll deal with that when the time comes."_

"_I can't lose her Steve!" Angel sobbed, sitting on the bed and crying into her hands, "What am I going to do without her?"_

_Steve quickly walked over and sat on the bed, gathering Angel in his arms and setting her on his lap. He held her has her body shook with sobs and she soaked his shirt with her tears. She continued to cry for a good twenty minutes before she started to calm down and go quiet. _

"_Whatever happens, I promise you that I will be there to support you and hold your hand every step of the way. You will never be alone," He whispered, kissing the top of her head and holding her close._

_Angel sniffled and looked up at him, "Do you really mean that?"_

"_Of course I do," Steve said, feeling sad that she didn't, "Angel what I told you before was the truth, I love you."_

_Angel's eyes filled with tears and Steve started to panic, "Please don't cry baby, you're breaking my heart here."_

"_I'm sorry, it's just that I thought you hated me." Angel said._

"_I'm sorry you felt that way. I was confused and shocked by the information. For a moment I was in doubt, and then when you manipulated me to let you go after you attacked Barton, I realized that you were completely genuine to me the whole time. I understand if you can't forgive me…" Steve said sadly._

"_I love you too Steve," Angel blurted out, Steve looked at her with shock, "I do, I really do."_

"_You have no idea how good it feels to hear that."_

Steve smiled at the memory and looked down at Angel who still on cloud nine, "Are you going to tell Sharon soon?"

"Just as soon as she's done with her moment with Clint," Angel said, "Which gives me plenty of time to do this."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and deep. He smiled into it and dipped her back and held her close while she giggled in his arms. It was the best moment he'd had ever since waking up from his coma.

* * *

**Next chapter coming soon!**


	23. Vulnerable

**Busy Busy Busy! I've been working hard at my new job (I sell shoes and Macy's) and have been super exhausted more often than not that I don't have the motivation to write. BUT I got this one done and Chapter 24 is already well on it's way (I am aiming to have it posted by tonight for you all to read). **

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Kyla (PyroQueenOfFire) was hard at work yesterday while I was working at created a present for me... A website for Sharon and Angel! It's a site in which our stories will be posted along with Character profiles and bios as well as pictures she and I have been making for the stories. I will post the link later when the site is ready for the public! I gotta tell you it's pretty freakin awesome, Kyla was working all day yesterday on it and I was blown away by the whole thing when she showed it to me. (For those of you who don't know, Kyla is also writing an Avengers fic using Sharon and Angel as main characters. She and I have been working with these characters for a few weeks now and we have BIG plans for them in the future).**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who so graciously made an amazing website and made my evening awesome when she showed it to me.**

CHAPTER TWENTYTHREE

It was another day before Sharon was released from the medical ward; even then she was still a bit weak and tired. Angel was always around to help her with anything and do things for her, and it frustrated her to no end. She was used to taking care of herself, having others do it for her was different and she didn't like it. She loved that Angel wanted to worry over her and keep her rested, but Sharon wasn't about to let her do everything for her

It was when she attempted to get her food for her the day after she'd been let out that she finally drew the line, "ENOUGH!" she cried as Angel had been talking to herself in front of Sharon about meal options as if Sharon wasn't even there. She looked at her startled.

"I am a grown-ass woman! I can take care of myself dammit! I don't need you choosing my food and getting it for me like I can't make decisions for myself. I'm not a baby, I'm a freaking woman!" She yelled at them. Angel had the decency to look chagrined and stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry hun, I haven't been taking into account how you would feel. I was just so worried when you were out that I want to do everything to get you healthy again," Angel said, looking sympathetically at her friend and feeling stupid for treating her like a helpless invalid."

Sharon sighed, "I understand, but I've been out of the place for a day and I'm already returning to my normal self!" Sharon went over and gave Angel a hug, "If I'm going to really get back on my feet, I need to be doing my normal routines so that I can get back to where I was before. That means no babying from you."

"Not even a little bit?" Angel asked with a pout, but Sharon knew that look and smirked.

"The face won't work. Now go find Steve, I'm sure he can handle some babying." Sharon said with a chuckle. Angel left to go find the Captain while Sharon contemplated stuff to do.

She decided to go and see how the ship was faring after the string of incidences that occurred during Loki's breakout. As she walked through the corridors she was impressed by the improvement she saw in all the damaged areas. The Tesseract lab was still a mess from the hulk smashing around, but it was already looking better.

Sharon went over to the makeshift lab Dr. Banner had set up for the tesseract so he could look over it to see if any changes or damages had been done to it while in Loki's possession. She entered the lab and saw that Tony was also present. He seemed to be trying to convince Banner to visit Stark Tower when it was remodeled so they could talk science. Sharon smirked at their off-kilter friendship, Tony was very enthusiastic and outgoing where Banner was very introverted and quiet.

"Am I interrupting your bromance moment?" Sharon said, the men turned and smiled.

"If it isn't my sister's charming friend, do come in." Tony said, walking over to bring Sharon further into the lab. He moved as if to put an arm around her shoulder but she shrugged away. He paused and looked at her, "Are you still recovering?" He asked.

"Nah I just heard stories about where those hands have been and I really don't want them touching me," Sharon said bluntly as she casually walked over to the Tesseract and looked at it.

"Yes… so charming…" Tony muttered to himself. Banner rolled his eyes and walked over to Sharon, careful about keeping his distance, as he knew she wasn't comfortable being near him.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about your… ability." He asked tentatively, Sharon's eyebrows lifted in surprise. She hadn't expected him to want to talk about it.

"It's nothing bad I promise. I was just curious if you would be alright with me conducting a study? I'm interested in the energy surge you had when attacking Loki, both times in fact. I think my friend, Dr. Reed Richards, would be really interested to hear about it." Banner said.

Sharon felt a little unsure, "What would this study entail?"

"Just answering a few questions and running some tests for us," Banner said easily. Tony walked over with interest.

"I'm also interested in having a look at you, I'm trying to really break into the energy business with my arc reactor technology. My first go was with Stark Tower; now had a demigod with daddy issues not violated and vandalized the place it probably would have been more successful. But I think you present some interesting possibilities that would be fascinating to look at and test and experiment with." Tony said.

Sharon stiffened at the words 'experiment' and 'test', "I'm sorry but that's not possible." She said in a cold voice before turning and leaving the room abruptly.

Tony and Bruce turned and looked at each other, confused about her reaction and sudden change in demeanor, "What was that about?" Bruce asked.

"Banner, I've known many a woman in my day. And to this day I still can't answer that question," Tony said.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel sighed heavily as she walked into Steve's quarters and flopped on his bed without knocking first. Steve looked up from his chair where he had been reading, "If I were a less decent man I would make a remark about you being in my bed."

"If you were a less decent man you'd be like my brother and I'd feel very incestuous right about now," Angel said, staring at the ceiling.

Steve shuddered at the thought and put his book down and stood up. He walked over and sat on the bed and looked down at Angel, "Is everything alright?"

Angel sighed heavily and rolled over on her stomach and propped herself up on her elbow, "I guess, I just feel bad for having gone all mother-hen on Sharon earlier. She called me out on it and now I feel silly."

"You like to take care of people Ange, she won't hold that against you. She knows and appreciates everything you've done for her, you just have to let her have some freedom." Steve said as he stroked Angel's hair.

Angel smiled and shifted so that she was sitting on her legs. She then put her arms around Steve's neck and smiled at him, "How is it you know exactly what to say to make me feel better?"

Steve smiled, "Call it intuition."

Angel's grin widened and she leaned in to kiss him. The kiss soon went from innocent to heated, both of them groaning as Steve pulled Angel into his lap and deepened the kiss. He tangled his fingers in her long hair as she did the same to his while pressing her body close. Angel shifted so that she straddled his lap while they continued to kiss long and deep.

Steve was the first to pull back, gasping for breath as he and Angel took a moment to settle down and breathe. They both opened their eyes and stared at each other for a long time without saying anything.

"We should probably leave the room, I don't want to take advantage of you," Steve said as it dawned on him that they were on his bed, alone in his room.

Angel bit her lip and blushed, "What if I want you to take advantage of me?"

Steve gave her a look, "I'm not going to assault you like an animal, you deserve so much more than that."

Angel's heart swelled when he said that, it was more than she had ever expected to hear from a man. It made her love him all the more, "You're right, I just got carried away."

"We both did," Steve said chuckling, "Trust me, I was just as much into it as you were, if not more."

Angel blushed and smiled shyly, "Steve, you know I love you and I love being with you and around you. I just want you to know I'm all in with us." She said, hoping she wasn't being too forward.

"I'm not sure what you call it in this time, but back in my day this would be the moment I would ask if you would go steady with me," Steve said, his ears growing red and faint blush tinting his face. Angel giggled and nodded her head.

"We just call it a relationship now," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Either way, I will do right by you Angela Stark, mark my words."

Angel bit her lip and felt a little anxious about the next topic she was bringing up, "So… what exactly are your thoughts on sex?"

Steve swallowed, "Well… I don't really know too much about it…"

Angel's eyes widened, "You mean you never…?"

Steve shook his head, "Bucky was always the ladies man, even if there was a girl interested in me I never really took notice, all I wanted was to go fight the Nazis."

"Wow," Angel said, "You really are a man of morals."

Steve's ears turned red, "I just… I always put love as second priority. I wanted to make something of myself before I considered making a commitment to someone. I wanted to be worthy…"

Angel smiled, "You're the greatest man I've ever met Steve."

Steve smiled and kissed her softly, "I love you Angela Stark."

"And I love you Steven Rogers," Angel said with another kiss, "so… does this mean you want to wait?"

Steve nodded, "Just for a while. The relationship is still new and I don't want to do anything you might regret later. I really want to make this work."

Angel smiled and nodded, "I can wait, I'll wait as long as you want. I'm not going anywhere."

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon walked through the corridors; feelings of cold and hostility running through her veins as she aimlessly kept walking forwards. Memories were boiling in the back of her mind, waiting to resurface and take hold of her head and send her into the fetal position for a day, maybe even a week.

She walked into the weapons room and went into the boxing area. There weren't any punching bags strung up. There were a few lined up on the wall, but Sharon could already tell that it would take up all of her energy to string it up, she was still too weak and it would defeat the purpose.

So instead she stood there and stared at them, and that was how Clint found her fifteen minutes later. He stood in the doorway, remembering all too clear what had happened the last time they were in this room together.

Sharon felt eyes on her and turned, raising her eyebrows when she saw Clint in the doorway, "Making a habit of stalking me Barton?"

"They don't call me Hawkeye for nothing," He fired right back at her, the corner of his mouth turning up in the crooked smile, "I don't think your knuckles would appreciate another bare-knuckle fight with a punching bag."

Sharon stayed silent and straightened herself a bit, she wasn't in the mood to talk. All she really wanted was a moment to clear her head and get out of her own mind for a moment.

"Something on your mind Shar?" Clint asked. She shook her head and started for the door.

"Just needed a moment to clear my thoughts," She said, "I think I'm just going to go read a book or something."

"I got a better idea." He said as he gently grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated! I'm always happy to hear what you think and ideas!**

**Alasiel**


	24. Connect the Dots

**The site is officially up and running! You will find it at .com/ There you will find bios, backgrounds, photos, and all sorts of other goodies!**

**WARNING: this chapter contains sexual content, if you are uncomfortable with reading it than I suggest you only read the beginning part.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who is the Tony to my Bruce**

CHAPTER TWENTYFOUR

Clint led Sharon out of the weapons room and down the corridor. Sharon followed along anxiously, not entirely sure where he was taking her, "If this is your way of attempting to kill me? Because I will seriously haunt your ass if you do."

"Well I do have an ass worth haunting," Clint shot back over his shoulder with an impish grin. They turned down an empty corridor and stopped at a panel that Clint pressed his hand against. It made a couple beeping sounds before sliding open to reveal a small dark corridor.

Sharon gulped, "yeah… I don't do creepy hallways."

Clint rolled his eyes and squeezed her hand, "It's okay, I'll be right with you. Just hold on to my hand and let me lead the way. Trust me?"

Sharon bit her lip and thought _What the hell_ and followed him down the hallway. The door closed behind them and left them in the inky blackness, "Just so you know, this pitch black corridor thing is completely un-okay to me." Sharon said nervously as they kept walking forward.

Clint only chuckled and kept leading her forward until they stopped and he slid open a small door beside them. He crawled through first before helping her through. When Sharon stood she realized they were in the former Tesseract lab in Clint's nest.

"Wow," she said breathlessly, "You really can see everything from here."

Clint nodded, "It's also a great place to just relax and get away from everyone. I like to come up here and overlook my surroundings and people watch."

Sharon looked around; there wasn't anything much to the platform aside from a small cot off to one side with a bow and sheath of arrows stashed underneath. She walked over to the edge of the platform and stood along the rail and overlooked the lab. It was currently empty; the construction crews had left for the evening and left all their tools behind.

Clint walked up and stood beside Sharon and watched her as her eyes flitted around the room, "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you ever watched me from up here." Sharon said bluntly, blushing a bit as she wished she could take it back. She looked over at Clint shyly and noticed that his cheeks tinged with red a little.

"I watched you the most." He said quietly. Sharon gulped as her mouth went dry; she then walked over and sat on his cot and started to play with her fingers. Clint turned and leaned against the railing and watched her, "I was always curious when you would suddenly smirk or let out a laugh randomly." He said as he observed her.

Sharon chuckled, "If you knew how my mind worked Barton, you'd understand that I find the most mundane things entertaining."

"You can call me Clint you know, I let you into my nest so I think we can be on a first name basis."

"Yeah… I'm not a fan of the name Clint," Clint's eyebrows shot up at Sharon's blunt statement, "It's nothing against you, I just think of a hillbilly whenever I hear the name," Sharon quickly explained but it only sounded even more ludicrous and she started to giggle a little, "If it helps, I really hate Steve's name." But that just made her giggle harder until she was clutching her abdomen and bending over.

Clint just stared at Sharon for a moment before walking over and sitting down next to her. Sharon took a deep breath to calm herself down and looked at Clint, who had a straight face on, "You done?" But a chuckle escaped from Clint that sent Sharon into hysterics all over again. Now they were both laughing on the cot, Sharon even let out a few snorts with her laughter that only made Clint laugh even harder.

Soon they were both gasping for breath as they tried to calm down, "So is that why you always call me Barton or Hawk?" Clint asked.

A couple small giggles escaped from Sharon, "Yeah, I hope you don't mind."

"Nah it's fine, I like that you're honest and blunt," Clint said looking over at Sharon, "You're beautiful when you laugh you know? That's why I liked watching you so much, your face lights up and you have a loud laugh that fills the room."

Sharon bit her lip and blushed, "Most people think it's too loud and tell me to calm down."

Clint shook his head, "A laugh like that should never be tampered down."

Sharon looked at Clint for a long moment; she couldn't understand his boomerang actions with her. Ever since they'd met she kept pushing him away, and he would always come back. Then she remembered the kiss they'd shared and her body felt even more heated.

It seemed that Clint was thinking the same thing as he leaned in a little closer and brought a hand up to her face and stroked her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, "I'll never forget it," He whispered, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

Sharon decided to shove all her doubts and fears aside and leaned forward to press her lips against his. Clint entangled her hair in his fingers and held her head to his, deepening the kiss while she shifted closer. When the kiss didn't stop after a while, Sharon shifted so she was lying down on the cot while Clint crawled over her and covered her body with his, their mouths never leaving one another.

Sharon opened her legs so Clint was nestled between them while she pressed herself against him, becoming aware of his length pressed against her thigh. Her hands drifted down his back and went to the hem of his black t-shirt. She lifted it up and slid her hands underneath and drifted them up his hard-muscled back.

Clint broke the kiss and looked down at Sharon for a moment, searching her face for hints of doubt but only found determination and want, "You sure about this?"

Sharon stared up at him in a seductive manner, "Take off the shirt Barton."

Clint sat back and pulled his shirt over his head while Sharon also sat up and started to pull her shirt up when Clint stopped her. He positioned her hands up over her head so he could easily lift the shirt off her. Once he did he gazed down at her lovely body. Her breasts were contained in a purple with black lace bra that made her chest look breathtaking. She was curvy in all the right places and was filled out to perfection.

Sharon slid her hands up Clint's sides and ran them down Clint's arms. She always had a thing for guys with nice arms, and his were perfect from years of work with his bow. She lightly ghosted her hands down his chest and over his abdomen. Clint hissed at the pleasure that ran through his nervous system from her light touch, driving him insane with want. He reached forward and brought his lips down hard on hers, feeding on her mouth while his hand caressed her skin on her back.

His hands slowly trailed down and toyed with the edge of her pants. Sharon's mind went blank in anticipation of what was coming. She thanked her lucky stars for having chosen to wear sweatpants as Clint's hands slowly brought them down over her hips and thighs until they were off completely.

Clint stood up and looked down to admire Sharon. She looked up at him shyly as he intently gazed at her, her cheeks turning slightly red as she bit her lip, "This isn't fair, you know?"

Clint tilted his head in confusion and Sharon chuckled, "You're wearing more clothes than me, Hawk." She reached up and undid his belt buckle, taking the time to slowly unbutton his pants and unzip them. She slowly pulled them down until he stepped out of them and toed off his shoes and socks, leaving him in his black boxers that hung low on his hips. She swallowed as she gazed up at him.

"Now it seems that we're uneven again Ms. Carver, You have two items on whereas I only have one." He said with a smirk.

Sharon smirked right back at him before standing and reaching behind her back with one hand and unclasping her bra, letting it drop to the floor. Clint reached forward and put his hands on her hips and brought her in close. Sharon shivered as she pressed her body against his and raised herself up to kiss him. Clint groaned at the feeling of her, suddenly bending down to pick her up and place her back on the cot before quickly covering her again with his body.

Their kisses were long and deep as Clint hooked his fingers into her panties and dragged them off her while Sharon did the same to his boxers. Sharon heart stopped as she felt him poised and pressed against her entrance. He pulled back and looked down at her as he slowly pushed himself inside her.

Sharon's eyes rolled back into her head as he filled her up completely and stayed there for a moment. The tingle that ran down her spine made her entire body shudder as she felt herself taking him in and absorbing him. Clint shut his eyes and leaned his head on her shoulder, whispering and murmuring into her skin, "Oh god baby please don't move, please," he begged, the feeling of her around him had him teetering at the edge of the chasm he wasn't ready to dive down yet.

After they stayed still for a few moments more adjusting, Clint slowly slid out and back in again, taking on a pace that was slow and torturous, making Sharon writhe beneath him in ecstasy and grinding her hips against his every time he thrust in.

Their bodies moved in sink with each other while Clint kissed every part of Sharon within reach. Soon their pace began to pick up as a coil of pleasure tightened within Sharon, making her moan in want as she wished for relief and ecstasy. Clint thrust faster into her, within minutes she was ready to scream. She bit down on his shoulder to prevent a scream from leaving her chest as pleasure exploded in her and swam through every nerve throughout her being. Clint soon followed after her and thrust hard into her one last time before collapsing on top of her, gasping for breath and waiting for his heart beat to go down.

They both laid like that a moment before Clint groaned, "My god if that is what a heart attack feels like than I hope I continue having heart problems." He slowly slid out of her making them both shudder at the feeling, "I've never felt that before."

Sharon nodded, closing her eyes and feeling tears gather there, "Neither have I," She said quietly. She then sat up quickly and grabbed her pants, shoving her legs into them and grabbing her shirt and throwing it on without bothering with the bra.

Clint sat up looking bewildered, "What are you doing?"

"I have to go," Sharon said quickly as she shoved her foot into her shoe and reached for the other.

"Just like that? What's the rush?"

"I really need to go now." Sharon said in a tense voice, putting her other shoe on quickly before leaning down to gather her intimates.

Clint grabbed her arm, "Sharon don't run away from me again." She refused to face him and shook her head.

"I'm sorry but I can't be here right now." Her voice was tight as she held back tears.

"Shar we can talk, you can trust me. Please just talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"There is nothing to talk about."

Clint went tense, " Bullshit! Was this just a hit and run to you?"

Sharon shook her head hard and felt a sob in her throat, "This isn't how it should be, I'm sorry. You deserve better than this, than me." with that last part a sob came out and she ripped her arm from his grasp and crawled through the exit quickly and ran down the dark corridor.

Clint sat where he was feeling completely shell shocked. It was like he got hit full force in the chest with a sledgehammer. He went back through his mind trying to figure out where the hell he could have gone wrong. But there was nothing visible to him that could have set Sharon off.

He hung his head in his hands and pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to control his emotions before he would put on his clothes and go after the girl who drove him crazy.

* * *

**Angst! Angst! ANGST! Can't you tell that I love angst? Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	25. Runaway

**Mondays are my least favorite day of the week but I am determined to make it a good one! Work was a bit slow but I managed to sell over $600 worth of shoes, which is $200 more than my daily goal so I'm feeling pretty damn good.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who had to work over 14 hours today and is keeping up a good attitude**

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Steve and Angel had been cuddling on his bed when Sharon barged into the room without knocking. Steve jumped off the bed and stood straight up, "Whoa ever heard of knocking?"

"Oh stuff it lover boy, I'm having a crisis!" Sharon yelled while tears kept falling down her face. Angel sat up and watched her friend with concern.

"Honey what happened?"

"Clint and I had sex," Sharon said, pacing back and forth to keep herself from breaking down completely, "We had amazing sex and now things are even more confusing!"

Angel rubbed her face with a hand, "And here I thought you were finally letting a guy get close to you."

"Please, that'll happen when pigs fly."

"Wait I'm confused." Steve said, trying to understand what was happening, "Sharon slept with Clint so that things wouldn't be confusing? How does that make sense?"

Sharon rolled her eyes, "I sleep with men so that my physical needs are set, I don't get into relationships and I don't do intimacy. I thought that by sleeping with Clint it would relieve the tension and make it all better, but now it's only worse!"

"She has sex with random men for the sake of sex… Angel I kinda hate your friend's morals…" Steve said.

"WELL I HATE YOUR NAME STEVE! IT'S NOT A PERFECT WORLD!" Sharon screamed at him. His eyes widened while Angel stood up and guided Steve to the door.

"Maybe it's a good idea to give us some privacy," Angel said.

"But… It's my room," Steve said, "And I want to help. I didn't mean to sound judgmental Shar, that was really rude of me. Please let me help,"

"The only help I need is help getting me off this damn helli carrier and away from this place." Sharon grumbled, "But I promised that I wouldn't manipulate a pilot again and leave without telling anyone."

Angel nodded, "Hun you should stay and figure things out with Clint. He seems to genuinely like you and wants to be with you. You know I love you, but you have a long record of running away from a man when he gets to close to you and then choosing an asshole of a guy to use you so there isn't a chance of him getting close and then you get hurt. Why not give Clint a chance?"

"Because I don't want anyone getting close! I'm not like you Angel! I don't get the whole white wedding, picket fence, children thing. I've never needed anyone except you, and you've found someone to take care of you." She looked at Steve and Angel, "You two make an amazing couple, and I'm over the moon with happiness for you guys, but that's not the kind of life I'm heading towards. Clint deserves more than that."

Steve looked over at Angel with an utterly helpless expression, "Yeah… Maybe I should leave you two some privacy."

"You think?" Angel said, chuckling as Steve left the room, "The man is hot, but his sense of comfort is in desperate need of improvement."

"Well that's what you're there for Ang," Sharon said as she sat down on the bed, "sorry if I interrupted your moment. Oh my god where you about to have sex!"

"What!" Angel said, "No! You know me better than that!"

Sharon gave Angel a once over before raising an eyebrow at her friend. Angel's clothes were disheveled and topsy turvy, her hair was sticking up in odd places and her make up was a little smudged, "You might want to look in the mirror deary, your appearance says otherwise."

Angel looked in Steve's mirror and blushed while she fixed herself up, "I wanted to… but Steve wants to wait…"

"Aww honey," Sharon said as she stood up and hugged her friend, "I think that's great."

"It is, right?" Angel asked, "I mean he really does want to get to that spot, it's just that we've only been together for such a short time. I'm glad he stopped us before it's too late because I certainly wasn't ready too."

Sharon chuckled and smoothed out Angel's hair, "When the time is right, you two will come together without having to deal with regret and afterthoughts later. Plus I demand that you call me and give me all the details."

Angel sighed, "So you really mean it? You're leaving SHIELD?"

Sharon nodded, "I need the space Ang, it's too much for me. I hate the idea of being apart from you, but knowing you're with Steve will help. He'll be there for you, plus you can always call me. I'm going to my cabin and you know how to get in contact with me."

Angel sighed heavily and put her hands on Sharon's shoulders, "I hate it when you do this, but I'm not going to stop you. Just make sure you talk to Director Fury first and let me know where you're heading. Okay?"

Sharon nodded and hugged Angel close, "I love you Angel, but I just can't do it. He'll find someone better."

Angel pulled back and stared at her best friend, "I sincerely doubt it."

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon was quick to find Fury and talk to him. He was on the bridge with Agent Coulson; she told them since the Tesseract was stable and being well watched by Banner and Tony she didn't feel a need to stay on the ship.

Fury nodded in understanding, "We'll miss having you around Ms. Carver. I can't very well keep you here and you are cleared from the medical staff. Mind if I ask where you will be heading to?"

"Do I get a choice?" Sharon chuckled, knowing good and well that they would easily keep tabs on her even if she didn't tell them, "I have a cabin in the middle of the Pacific Rainforest. I'll be staying there for a while before perhaps going around the world for a bit a traveling."

"Very well Ms. Carver, I hope you are safe in your travels. We'll come and find you if we ever need you again."

"I doubt you will. The Tesseract is safe and stabilized. Last I checked, Banner and Stark were doing an excellent job of monitoring it and making sure it was secured. I'm also fairly certain that if there are any Chitauri left they now know that to battle us would be to court death."

"With you on the team that is for certain. I hope I can count on you to return should we need your services. What you have is a gift Ms. Carver, one that we could certainly use at any point in time."

"I don't know about it being a 'gift', but it certainly comes in handy on occasion," Sharon said.

"Taking down Loki single-handedly isn't something to be so cavalier about. You were able to manifest pure energy with the amount of power you had absorbed, you should consider taking up Dr. Banner's offer, Ms. Carver."

Sharon stiffened a little, "I wasn't aware that you knew about it."

"Dr. Banner first came to me with the idea, I thought it was something to look into. But since you're not interested in volunteering we won't force you to do so," Fury said as he toyed with his control panel, "Just remember what has happened twice now when you've built up power and held it back. We don't want this happening again to you without assistance coming to your aid when you need the medical attention."

Sharon nodded, "I'm not planning on being around people for a while, I think I will be fine."

Fury nodded, "Have fun in the wilderness, Ms, Carver."

"Director," Sharon said before Fury and Coulson turned to leave, "I would prefer that my location be kept under wraps. Only you two and Angel will know where I am."

"Don't worry Ms. Carver, we'll keep your location a secret. No one will find out." Agent Coulson said with a kind smile before turning and following after Fury out of the room.

Sharon went back to her room and packed the rest of her things swiftly, knowing the risk of running into Clint was getting higher by the minute and she planned to be off the carrier before that could happen.

*.*.*.*.*.

After he dressed, Clint left his nest to go searching for Sharon. He started with the weapons room, figuring she would go there to let out whatever steam was bothering her when she left him.

He was surprised to find the area empty, Sharon was no where. He attempted the new Tesseract lab and scoured the corridors before braving her quarters. When he got there he knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked again before trying to open it, he was beyond perplexed when he realized that only Angel's things were in the room and Sharon's were all gone.

He ran down to Steve's quarters and barged in on Steve and Angel making out.

"FOR GODSAKE DOES NO ONE KNOW HOW TO KNOCK!" Angel cried, glaring at Clint intensely.

"Where is Sharon?" Clint asked, ignoring Angel's outburst. Angel's face softened into a look of guilt.

"It's too late Clint," Angel said.

"What do you mean? Just tell me where I can find her, I need to talk to her. It's urgent."

"She left." Steve said.

*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon was getting comfortable in her seat just before the plane took off. She tried to keep her mind away from the events of the past few hours and focus on getting her her cabin and finding some peace of mind. She was sad to be leaving Angel, wishing there was a way for her to come with Sharon. But Sharon could tell that Angel wanted to be with Steve, and she didn't want to get in the way of that budding romance. She was happy for Angel, her chest was heavy at the thought of spending a long amount of time away from her best friend. It hurt a lot, but she desperately needed to get away from Clint. She swallowed back her tears as she tried to forget about him. It's time to move on she thought, time for a new place and a new adventure.

It was then that she glanced out the window just in time to see Clint running across the pad towards her plane. Her heart squeezed painfully as he got closer to the ship. He was yelling out something but she couldn't tell what it was. She started to panic, as he got closer to the plane, knowing that if they didn't leave soon he would catch her and she would never leave.

"CAN WE GO NOW!" She yelled up to the pilot who gave her the thumbs up and took off down the speedway. She looked back out the window and saw Clint standing where the plane had been; he was getting smaller as more distance was created. She let out a heavy sigh and looked away as tears started pouring down her cheeks and she silently shook as more tears fell into her lap.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel was waiting anxiously in the corridor as Clint walked in from the outside; his face was completely devoid of emotion.

"I'm so sorry Clint," Angel said silently.

"Do you know why she left?" Clint asked in a toneless voice. Angel nodded silently.

"I can't tell you a lot, she made me promise. What you should know about Sharon is that she gets scared. You know how she always pushes you away when you get too close? Well when you get really close, that's when she runs. She's done this before, but never to this scale." She sighed, "She doesn't think she deserves anyone. She also stubbornly believes that no one will ever want her. Nothing has ever changed her mind before."

Clint nodded as he processed the information, "Do you know where she went?"

Angel nodded again, "But she also made me promise not to tell you her location. She doesn't want anyone to know. I would tell you but she would never forgive me," She watched as a look of determination crossed his features, "She didn't, however, make me promise to not encourage you to find her…"

Clint looked up and saw a look of support on Angel's face, she gave him a small smile, "I want her happy Clint, I trust that you can do it for her. While I can't tell you where she is, I'll support you."

Clint nodded, "Thanks Angel, that means a lot."

Angel smiled, then smacked him on the shoulder, "Now go! You have some work to do."

Clint smiled and headed to his office to start figuring out where that plane was going and attempting to pin down a location.

* * *

**More will come later. While you wait for the next chapter, feel free to write me a review and let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated.**

**Also visit our site .com/ to learn more about Angel and Sharon.**

**Alasiel**


	26. Wherever I Go

**This seems to be a very creative evening, more to come tomorrow! **

**Dedicated to Kyla, who understands me when everyone else wonders if I know english.**

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

It was a familiar setting as Clint bent over the shoulder of the tech person and stared at the computer screen as images flashed before his eyes, searching for the face that was haunting his mind ever since they'd met. Thankfully this time there wasn't a factor of danger to his search, only determination to find the girl he was pretty sure he was falling hard for.

Clint tried to think back to the last time he'd ever felt this way about a girl and couldn't recall anyone. Sure there had been others, some that he could easily say he had feelings for. But none of them compared to Sharon.

Sharon, who could beat him to a pulp until he was literally covered in bruises. Most in that scenario would say that it wasn't worth it; the chick is crazy or high maintenance. Ask Clint and he would tell you that he would just crawl right back over for another round.

She made his heart do acrobatics when they were around each other. Her smile lit up the room and her laugh was loud and genuine, the kind of laugh that makes you want to laugh with her. Her devotion to Angel was beautiful to watch; she really lit up and relaxed with Angel, becoming more of herself in her natural habitat. Clint knew there was more to her than that, and he was eager to find out.

She made him exasperated, eager to know things about her that no one else did. Every time he got close she pushed him away, and it frustrated him to no end. But the challenge it presented kept him coming back. That and the desire to find out why she was so distant and scared; what was it that had her completely convinced that she didn't deserve him or anyone when he was pretty sure that she was it for him.

He ran his hands through his hair as he stood and up walked out of the room to take a break. He wasn't killing himself with this search, but it was starting to become arduous as it was the fourth day since Sharon left and Clint began looking.

He walked down the corridor and came across Angel, who was coming back from the Tesseract lab.

"Any luck Hawk?" Angel asked. Clint twitched a little as she said the name; Angel gave him a confused glance, "What was that?"

"Sharon told me just before she freaked out and ran that she liked calling me 'Hawk' or 'Barton' because she doesn't like my first name."

"Well…" Angel said with a shrug.

"What? Clint's a great name! Like Clint Eastwood!"

"It sounds like a hillbilly name," Angel said bluntly. Clint twitched again, "what now!"

"That's also what Sharon said…" Clint muttered.

Angel rolled her eyes, "As I was saying, any luck on finding Sharon?"

"None yet, but I'm not hurrying it too much this time. You said she's going to be staying in one place for a while so that lessens the stress on me to find her fast. I'm thinking of going to Fury again to try and convince him that it's pertinent that I see her."

"Or I have a better plan," Angel said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Something I'm going to need my studly soldier to help me out with, and it might involve some serious convincing," Angel said, frowning when Clint twitched again, "What now? Please don't tell me my studly soldier makes you think of Sharon, because if that's the case than we're going to have issues."

Clint smirked, "Nah that one was just for fun."

Angel smiled, "Now I remember why I approve of you…" with that she turned and started walking towards the weapons area with Clint trailing after her.

"Wait… when did I have to seek your approval?"

*.*.*.*.*.*.

"No," Steve said, "I'm not doing it, it's wrong."

"Come on hun, it's for the greater good!" Angel begged, walking up to Steve who had been punching a bag for a work out.

"If the greater good is helping Clint find a way into Sharon's pants again, than someone must have lied to me when I took this job."

Angel rolled her eyes and started playing with Steve's hair, "Hun Sharon was a big part of getting us back together, I want to return the favor."

"By using me to convince Coulson to give up her location and send Barton after her when that's the one thing she doesn't want? I don't see how that's returning the favor Angel."

"You are too moral for your own damn good, you know that right?" Angel said as she started to pout.

Steve smirked and cupped her cheek, "Yeah, but that's why you love me."

"Look, all I'm asking is that you talk to Coulson, he loves talking to you. Maybe even sign his Captain America cards,"

"I already signed those cards."

"Well sign them again!" Angel shrugged and kissed Steve lightly, "I made a promise to Sharon that I'm determined to keep, but I have to help Clint find her. It's for her own good."

Steve sighed heavily as he weighed his options: do the right thing and anger his girlfriend so she won't talk to him or use Coulson to get information about Sharon's location. He shook his head, "Let me shower first and put on my uniform, that might help a little…"

Clint had been standing silently in the doorway, he let out a chuckle, "Well would you look at that, the man that is known for his morals is about to get down and dirty."

"I'm doing this to help Sharon, she deserves happiness and if this is what I have to do than so be it."

*.*.*.*.*.

"You know I still have all the films they made of you during World War II," Coulson chatted about excitedly, "Completely preserved, I even bought a projector and screen so that they can be viewed. Would you like to see them?"

Angel kept in an internal groan; Coulson had been twittering on and on like a fanboy for over twenty minutes now, and while it was adorable that he was excited to talk to his idol, they were getting no where with finding out Sharon's location.

"Well I was in those films, I was kind of there, you know?" Steve said, feeling humble and shy about his experiences, "It was quite an experience making them and being a part of a motion picture. Back then it was still ground breaking."

"Oh I'm sure it was! Do you mind telling me about it? I would love to know what the experience was like!"

"OH MY GOD ENOUGH!" Angel shouted exasperatedly. She marched up to Coulson and put a hand on his shoulder and started using her power. Coulson's face went blank a moment.

"Ms. Carver is currently at her cabin in the Pacific Rainforest," From there Coulson spouted off a few coordinates and locations before Angel took her hand off of him.

"Thank you Phil," She said kindly before walking out of the room with Steve following behind her with Clint.

"Was that necessary?" Steve asked.

"Oh he'll be fine, and technically I didn't break my promise so we're good." Angel said with a wave of her hand. She then turned to Clint, "When are you taking off?"

"Right away, I'm just going to grab some things and then take a jet," Clint said, having already made plans days before even without knowing where he would be going.

"When you get there, I suggest using ice cream. It's Sharon's weakness, especially Mint Chocolate cookie or White Chocolate Rasberry Truffle, she'll give in to that." Angel said, winking at Clint, "Go get her Hawk."

Clint smiled, "Thanks for your help Angel, I'll bring her back safe and sound."

"You better, I'm not against barbequing a hawk for dinner."

*.*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon sighed contentedly as she stood on her porch with a cup of cider in one hand. She took a deep breath, loving the smell of the cedars and greenery that surrounded her place.

Cabin was a quaint word for her place; the place had a living room, full size kitchen, 2 bedrooms, full bath, and a complete wrap around porch. It was perfectly proportioned for one person to live there, maybe even two comfortably. Sharon designed it with the intention of only one person settling in there with the extra bedroom for Angel to stay in whenever she visited.

The place had become her escape a few years ago when she was feeling cabin fever while at Xavier's school. By that point she'd saved up enough money and invested smartly that she had a small fortune. At Angel's suggestion, she built her place for herself so she had an escape if things were too stressful and rough.

She loved the cabin, she would stay for a few days, even a few weeks if Angel was with her. This was her first time staying there by herself for an extended period of time, and so far it was nice.

The cabin was the first place she wanted to go to after deciding to leave SHIELD. She didn't have a plan after that. The place was stocked to last her a few weeks before she would have to venture out to the nearest town for more provisions. The only problem with that would be the risk of getting her face on a camera and it getting back to SHIELD where Clint might see it. If that was the case than she could move on to another location and hop from one area to another. But that meant she would have to be on the move almost constantly, and she would never rest.

"So not worth it," She said, wondering why she was going to so much effort to avoid it, "It's not like he's looking for me or anything, if anything he's probably moved on already. Probably too busy with someone else to play cat and mouse with me."

That thought hurt her even more. She shook her head hard to try and forget everything involving Clint again. Seemed like he showed up every other minute in her head and it was ruining her calm she was trying to build up.

Sharon frowned when she realized her cider was cold and went back in to refill her cup and left her front door open to keep the fresh air moving through the place.

She sighed again as she went to her stove, this time a little morosely at the quiet that surrounded her. She was used to having Angel within proximity if she ever wanted company, this was new for her and she missed her friend. However when she closed her eyes all she saw was a certain Hawk's face.

Much to her frustration, being at the cabin only increased her desire for Clint and made her miss him even more. She groaned in frustration at the heavy feeling in her stomach, wishing like hell that it would just go away. _This is why I hate the quiet_ she thought, _it scares me because it screams the truth_. She decided against having more cider and put her mug in the sink and turned around to head out to the living room to try and read.

She meandered into the room and started to walk over to her bookshelf when a small movement in the corner of her eye made her jump with a yelp.

There was Clint sitting in one of her armchairs, casually relaxing with one foot resting on his left knee as he watched her closely, "Hey there mouse," He said.

* * *

**It seems that Sharon's plan to avoid Clint has come to a screeching halt. What do you think Clint is up to? Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	27. Sigh No More

**Dedicated to Kyla, who stays on the phone with me while I walk to my car after work so that if I get attacked and killed she'll know what happens and write an epic story about it.**

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Angel was in the Tesseract lab doing some monitoring when Tony walked in. She barely acknowledged him with a glance before going back to her paperwork. He walked over and sat on her desk next to her and stared at her, waiting for her to react.

Angel was used to this tactic, and being a Stark herself meant she could resist it easily, so she continued doing her work and ignoring her childish older brother.

"You know I still haven't forgotten what happened with the engine," Tony said, picking up a compass on the desk and fiddling with it in his hands, "Last I checked, you were an art scholar, not an engineer or electrician."

"Well we all have our little secrets and hidden talents, don't we Tony?" Angel said, not bothering to glance up from her work.

"Yes but I got my secrets out in the open a long time ago. You, on the other hand, seem to be holding back. Care to share with the rest of the class how you pulled that little trick with the engine?"

Angel sighed and put her pen down and leaned back in her chair to look at Tony, "I suppose it is high time that we had this conversation."

"How long have you been working for SHIELD?" Tony asked, Angel chuckled and shook her head.

"I don't work for SHIELD, the Tesseract assignment has been my first project with SHIELD."

"Then how did you know what to do with the engine? You don't learn that kind of stuff at boarding school Angel. Did Dad teach you or something?"

Angel snorted, "Please, Howard and I barely got along. You know that."

"Then how, because I'm trying to think of all the possibilities and none of them are adding up."

"I'm a mutant, Tony." Angel said, enjoying the look of shock plastered on her brother's face. He stared at her for a good three minutes before trying to formulate words.

"Uh… how?" Tony asked.

"My mother, the one Howard seduced and got pregnant, carried the mutant gene and passed it on to me. I have the ability to manipulate objects, both inanimate and biological."

"So you manipulated the control panel and the electronics to get the rotators working again?" Tony asked, still looking bewildered and thrown off kilter.

Angel nodded, "If it helps, Howard never knew. That school I convinced you two to send me to is a private school for other mutants, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters."

Tony nodded, feeling stupid that he had never looked into her schooling before. He was well aware of Xavier's and the mutant population within it. He felt even more stupid as he looked back on all the times Angel never gave him details on her schoolwork and life. He'd never really been a good brother to her, always seeing her as a little girl so he kept his distance and focused on his own work.

"Have you ever manipulated me?" He asked.

"There was never a need to, we've never really interacted much," Angel said, not dwelling on that fact, "I considered doing it during your outburst at the first SHIELD meeting, thankfully Sharon talked me out of that one."

"Yes, your friend who is also a mutant," Tony said, "That should have been a good clue…"

"Hey," Angel stood up and put a hand on Tony's arm, "I made a point of keeping it a secret from you and everyone else. I didn't want to be treated any differently or to be seen as some abomination."

"Angel come on," Tony scoffed, "I have an arc reactor imbedded in my chest, I think that's as weird as being born with a mutant gene. And if anyone so much as tries to lay a finger on you because they think you're a monster, than they will have to deal with the consequences of messing with a Stark."

Angel's eyes teared up a bit; Tony had never been much of a brother before. While she never approved of his actions with women, she always wanted to make their relationship stronger. She could only hope now that they can start working on that.

She leaned forward and gave him a light hug, "Thanks big brother."

"Anytime sis," Tony said.

It was at that point that Bruce walked in and saw the siblings embracing, "Family bonding moment?" He asked as he walked over to his desk and looked over some papers.

"Something like that," Tony said, "Hey you should be the first to hear the news: my sister is a mutant!"

Bruce looked at Tony skeptically, "I know."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, looking confused, "You can't know, it's been a secret. I only just found out."

"Well…" Angel said, biting her lip and looking away.

"He knew before I did!" Tony exclaimed, feeling hurt that he wasn't the first to know.

"If it helps, we were all a little surprised at the announcement, though it made sense since they're the heads of the project." Bruce said, trying to be helpful.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Tony said, standing up and looking at Angel, "Who is 'we'? Are you saying that more people know?"

"Well yeah," Angel said, "We announced it about two weeks ago."

"I'm the last to know!" Tony yelled, "I'm your brother! I should have been the first to know!"

"Hey, you're the one who was throwing a hissy fit about me being in charge. If you had been cooperating you would have been at the meeting when I announced it."

"Oh don't you blame this on me Angela Stark, I'm your big brother. I should have been first to know!"

"You were being a jerk!"

"I wouldn't have been if I knew the truth!"

Bruce watched the two argue and sighed, "I'm just going to go visit Natasha."

Angel stopped yelling at Tony and looked at Bruce, "Sorry Bruce, we're done."

"Oh no we're not!" Tony said, but Angel smacked her hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"How is Natasha doing?" She asked sympathetically.

Bruce shrugged, "Still the same, the doctors say that any day now she should wake up," He looked so sad and guilty that it made Angel's heart break for him. She walked over and gave him a hug.

"It's not your fault, okay? You didn't know what you were doing."

"But it is my fault, that's the problem."

"No it wasn't, Loki purposefully attacked you so you would lose control. That is not something you can blame yourself for."

Bruce sighed and wiped a hand over his face, "I need her to be okay…"

Angel had a pretty good idea about the relationship between Bruce and Natasha, and she could see from the look on his face that he was praying to ever deity alive for her to get better. From his disheveled appearance it looked like he'd been spending every moment possible sitting by her bedside whenever he wasn't in the Tesseract lab.

"She's human, it takes a while for these things to heal," Angel said. But when he still didn't look comforted, Angel used a bit of her power to give him some peace of mind.

"Go to your room and get some rest Bruce, then take a shower when you wake up and clean yourself up," She said, he gave an absent mind nod as she let him go and he left the room.

"Wow," Tony said, walking over, "So that's what you can do?"

Angel nodded, "He really needed it."

Tony put an arm around her shoulder, "I'm proud of you sis, even if I am still pissed that I'm the last to know."

Angel smiled, "Thanks Tony."

"Now," Tony asked, "What are the odds that I can utilize this power on some CEO's of companies that I want to work with? They're being stubborn and could use a little persuasion…"

Angel gave Tony a look before going back to her desk and continuing her paper work.

"No seriously! You can come work for Stark Industries!" Tony continued, walking over to Angel, "All you have to do is touch the hand of the competitors and use a little of your powe-"

Angel reached out and touched Tony's arm, "Leave Tony."

Tony turned and left the room. He got about hallway through the corridor when he realized what just happened, "DAMN! She's good…"

*.*.*.*.*.

"You do realize breaking and entering is a felony?" Sharon spat as she glared at Clint who looked unfazed by her hostility.

"Well considering your door was wide open I didn't have to break anything. So it was all a matter of just entering, which is only fifty percent of the crime so in all reality it should just be waved cause it's only a half crime. In fact it when you really look at it, it's just a matter of poor etiquette on my part," Clint shrugged and stood up and wandered around the coffee table towards Sharon, who backed up as he got closer, "But I don't think that's nearly as poor as leaving someone after having had sex without any explanation as to why she would leave so fast with such a cold face and running to the middle of freakin no where!"

Sharon felt herself back into a wall and quickly dashed over behind her couch, feeling the need to keep an object between her and Clint for the sake of her own comfort. But the fact of the matter was that he was in her house and there was nothing she could do to achieve that peace of mind she was desperately longing for when she first arrived, "You shouldn't be here. How the hell did you find me?"

"That doesn't matter," Clint said, as he walked toward the couch and stopped when he was directly across from her, "What matters is that we really need to have that talk."

"No we don't," Sharon said, shaking her head vigorously and closing her eyes, "There is nothing to talk about. We had a one night stand-"

"It was during the day, so I don't think it can be called that."

"One day stand then. We were both in the moment and it got intense and carried away. I'm sorry that I didn't stick around to say goodbye but I had to go."

"You had to go or needed to runaway? You did this before Sharon." Clint continued to watch her. Sharon avoided the urge to scream and throw things at him, she wanted him out of her place.

"You were not invited here, I am asking you to leave." She said in a toneless voice.

Clint stayed where he was a few minutes more before raising his hands in surrender, "Whatever you say," he said before turning and walking out the front door, closing it behind him with a decisive click.

Sharon stayed where she was for a few more moments._ It can't be that easy… can it?_ She thought. She walked over to the window and her eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets. Out on the grassy area beside her driveway, Clint had set up a tent and was in the process of unpacking more things from a black SUV now parked in her driveway.

"WHERE THE HELL DID THAT ALL COME FROM!" She yelled, wondering how he had time to set up that tent and how she hadn't heard the car pull up. She dashed to the door and swung it open, marching down her steps and over to Clint.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" She yelled. Clint looked over at his tent.

"I think it's pretty obvious. You won't let me stay inside, which I knew was a distinct possibility. So I brought a back up plan and you're looking at it," He placed a duffel bag inside his tent and straightened up and looked at Sharon, "I told you that we need to talk, and I'm not going anywhere until that happens."

All Sharon could do was gape at the scene, Clint watched her with an amused expression, "Keep that mouth open like that and I'll find a use for it."

Sharon's mouth snapped shut and she glared at him, "You're an animal!"

"No, I'm a human being who is trying to convince the potential love of his life to have a talk. Those slippers on your feet are the animals."

Sharon looked down and for the first time realized that she was still in her pajamas and robe while wearing bunny slippers on her feet. Her face turned red and she quickly went back into the house, locking up behind her and walking over to the window to watch and Clint unloaded more items from his truck. _So much for peace of mind…_

* * *

__**So I need your guys' help: I am seriously toying with the idea of writing a Bruce/Natasha fic after I finish this story. What I want to know is if you all are interested in reading it? Because I hardcore ship them (so does Kyla) and I have an excellent idea for a story for them. What do you all say? Send in your opinions!**

**for those of you having trouble finding our website type in 'Free Forum: Damsels Not So In Distress' in your google search bar and it should be the first site to pop up.**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	28. Fighting Confusing Winds

**ANNOUNCEMENT: I am flying to Canada tomorrow for a wedding and will not be back until Sunday. I am not taking my computer with me; so you will not be receiving a new chapter for a few days. The earliest you can expect a post will be Sunday evening. In the mean time, if you haven't done so I highly recommend going over to Kyla's profile (PyroQueenOfFire) and checking out her Avengers fic Take Me or Leave Me which also features Sharon and Angel as characters. It is excellent and wonderful and will keep you occupied until I return. In the meantime, ENJOY!**

**ALSO: I've only heard from a few about my idea for a Bruce/Natasha fic, I would appreciate more input on whether I should write it or not, it would be really appreciated!**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who knows me all too well**

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

_**You are so dead**_

Angel chuckled as she closed her cellphone without responding to Sharon. Steve looked at her from besides the bench they were both sitting on, "Something funny?"

The two of them had decided to take a break from the SHIELD carrier and flew to the mainland to spend sometime together. Though neither had said it out loud, they both knew that it was a date. They were happy to hold hands and walk along the beach while occasionally playing in the surf of the water together.

"Clint's found Sharon, She's not too happy about it," Angel said with a chuckle, she didn't feel too bad about it, Sharon needed this kick in the ass and she was more than happy to give it to her.

"I hope she's not too mad."

"Oh she's furious," Angel said with a cackle, "But she'll get over it as soon as she realizes that this was for her own good. She doesn't get to run away anymore, I'm not going to let her get away with it anymore."

Steve shrug, "I just feel bad going behind her back to break her promises with Coulson and you."

"I didn't break my promise, I never told Clint where Sharon was, and she never made me promise not to help," Angel defended, "And poor Coulson can't help being manipulated, it's against his will. So in all reality she doesn't get to blame anyone."

Steve gave Angel a look, "Angel don't pretend you don't carry a little blame here."

Angel sighed, "Look, I admit that I was actively going out of my way to help Clint. If I hadn't Sharon would keep carrying on random sex relationships with guys and dropping them before it gets serious. I don't even remember the last time she was on a real date. It's high time that she deals with her issues, and since I've never been able to get her to do it, I think Clint will have better luck confronting her about them than I have," She sighed and put her head on Steve's shoulder, "I want her happy, even if it makes her mad at me for a while. I honestly think Clint has it in him to be the one to make her happy and settle down. I won't apologize for making my best friend happy, don't ever ask me to do that."

Steve kissed the top of Angel's head and cuddled her into his side, "I'll never ask you to do so. I just hope she hasn't killed him yet…"

*.*.*.*.*.*.

"Are you going to use that knife to kill me?"

"It's tempting," Sharon muttered as she put down her paring knife and looked over to the open kitchen window where Clint was leaning into from the outside to watch her, "What do you want?"

"Just wondering when you'll be ready to talk," he said, resting his forearms on the windowsill and leaning forward on them in a casual pose of relaxation.

"Never," She answered as she turned and continued cutting the stems off some wildflowers she'd gathered from a field the night before.

"You know the sooner we have that talk the sooner we can get to the fun stuff,"

"Who says I'm not having fun?" Sharon said sarcastically, placing the flowers into the vase trying to keep her calm.

"I don't know, I thought what we tried in the nest was pretty damn fun too,"

Sharon closed her eyes and tried not to think about that encounter, but her body heated up a little, "It was alright," with that she started going over her plan in her head to escape.

She had a cellar door that was concealed in her bedroom that no one knew about it, in the cellar there was a small tunnel that led to a concealed opening about 50 yards from the cabin in case danger were to occur and she needed an escape. Thankfully she had provisions stashed in her cellar so she could make a quick escape if need be. There were enough changes of clothing and food and water to last her a couple days before she would need to get into town. From there she figured she could grab a car that would take her to a friend she knew was a day's drive away.

She figured this plan out, hoping she could get enough of a head start before Clint caught on and followed.

Sharon was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the kitchen door open until she felt body heat on her back and two arms came around and rested on the kitchen island on either side of her, essentially caging her in.

A warm tingling ran down her spine and she repressed a shudder of pleasure when she felt Clint's warm breath on her ear, "If the claw marks on my back and the look of ecstasy on your face are signs of 'alright' sex, than I can't wait until I show you what earth-shattering is like."

Sharon closed her eyes and breathed in slowly to keep herself calm, "I'm afraid that is a sight you'll never see. There won't be a next time."

It was impossible to hold back the shiver that ran through her body as Clint brushed her hair over her shoulder and ran his nose over her exposed neck and shoulder, "You're sure about that?"

Sharon swallowed and nodded; shivering again as she felt the vibrations of Clint's chuckled against her back, "Once was more than enough."

Clint grabbed Sharon's shoulders and turned her so she leaned on the counter as he leaned into her, his face only inches away from hers, "I'm afraid that it won't ever be enough Sharon."

Sharon didn't get to react as his mouth was on hers, moving hard against hers and coaxing her own mouth open so his tongue could slide in and play with hers. It was much to Sharon's annoyance and chagrin that her pelvis had a mind of it's own and started to grind into Clint's.

Just as Sharon felt ready to give up and surrender to him, he pulled away and looked down at her with his incorrigible smirk, "Just as soon as we have that talk, we'll get back to discussing my 'alright' sexual prowess."

Sharon was still leaning against the island as Clint walked out, leaving the kitchen door wide open. She took a deep shaky breath and shook her head to clear it. She went and locked the kitchen door and turned to go to her bedroom. She grabbed her cellphone from it's charger, sighing with frustration when she saw that Angel hadn't returned her message.

**_You're going to be more than dead when I'm through with you_**

After sending that to Angel she went into the bathroom to take a cold shower before setting her plan into action.

*.*.*.*.*.*.

Angel laughed even harder at Sharon's second text, once again closing her phone without responding, "Looks like Clint is being a real pain in Sharon's ass, god I wish I was there to see this."

"I don't, she sounds ready to obliterate you."

Angel shook her head with a chuckle, "Sharon can never stay mad at me for longer than five minutes, it's against her nature to be mad for longer than that. It's always been that way, it's the same for me too."

"Interesting, does it work on your significant others?" Steve asked with a cheeky grin.

Angel snorted, "Not a chance in hell Cap."

Steve laughed, "Then I shall strive to never incur your wrath," With that he brought their entwined hands up to meet his lips. Angel smiled, loving that he was so gentlemanly and sweet. _This was how a man should be_ she thought to herself.

"I don't want to go back to the carrier," Angel said, "It's so much nicer here."

"Yeah, it does get to be a little stuffy and cramped on there at times," Steve said, taking a moment to gaze out on the ocean and admire the view. They were contentedly walking along the beach still when Angel suddenly got an idea.

"Okay, I'm going to propose something that you might think is a little crazy, but just hear me out,"

Steve gave her a quizzical look, "Hit me with it,"

"Wanna go stay at Xavier's for a bit? You can meet some of my other friends as well as Professor X. You can also learn some more about mutants and what we're all like. Then, if you like, we can go stay at my place I have on the beach. It'll be separate rooms, but it'll get us away from SHIELD for a while and we can spend some time together."

Steve thought it over before smiling and nodding, "I like that, I'll get to know more about you and where you come from. Besides, I haven't exactly had a vacation in over seventy years… You'll have to teach me what to do."

Angel giggled and leaned up to kiss him, "Trust me, you're going to love it."

* * *

**See you all on Sunday! Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	29. Mr KnowItAll

**I'm back! Had a lovely weekend at the wedding and have now come back with TONS of ideas for the story. I hope you're all enjoying it and will keep reading as things move along! I'm enjoying all of your reactions and comments, I always get a little jittery when I see I have a new review or emails telling me that I have been alerted as favorite story, author, etc. It really means so much and I love it that you're all still reading it.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who I've been apart from for far too long and is long overdue to go on a Starbucks date with me.**

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

The grin on Angel's face could have split her head in half, Steve's own smile widened as he watched the look of pure joy and excitement grow on her face. They were driving through the main gates to Xavier's school. Director Fury gave them both phones so that SHIELD would be in contact with them if/when they would need them.

They parked in front of the school and got out of the car. Steve stood where he was as he looked over the large mansion in front of him while Angel skipped around the car and stood beside him, a proud smile plastered on her face.

"Welcome to my alma mater," She said proudly.

"Wow, I'm officially impressed," Steve said as they started for the school.

They went in through the main entrance, the school was currently on it's summer break so classes were not in session. Most of the children had gone home to their families or were staying at the school instead. They slowly walked around for a while; Angel was enjoying the feeling of sharing a part of herself with Steve. Xavier's was a huge part of her life and it was important to her that Steve knew about it, as she was planning on keeping him as a part of her life for the better part of her future.

They were in the garden when the familiar sound of wheels on gravel drew up behind Angel. She smiled and turned around to see Charles rolling towards them in his wheel chair, a proud smile on his face.

"Angel, it's been a while," He said as he came to a stop before them.

"I'm happy to be back Professor," She said as she leaned forward to hug Charles, "Allow me to introduce someone."

"Ah yes your guest, I've heard a lot about you Captain Rogers," Charles said with a knowing glint in his eyes. Steve looked confused for a moment before remembering that Charles was a telepath.

"The pleasure is all mine sir, I'm so glad Angel brought me here to tour the school. It's truly remarkable what you've done here."

"I take great pride in this institution and what it stands for. It is a home for many of us and for the rest a place where they will always find acceptance and kindness. Angel was one of my favorite students and teachers," Charles said with a smile, "How is Sharon faring at her cabin?"

"As well as can be given her unwelcome visitor," Angel said with a smirk. Steve thought it was odd how Charles knew things without them being said, but he figured that came with the territory of being a telepath.

"Well I think it's high time she opened up a bit, I only hope you're being kind to her rather than using force," Charles said, giving Angel a rather pointed look while Angel looked away and blushed.

"I only gave her the push she needed…"

"More like shove…" Steve muttered, Angel threw a glare at him while Charles chuckled in his chair.

"You and I will get along very well Captain," Charles said, turning his chair back towards the mansion, "Would you care to join me for some tea? I would like to carry on the conversation with both of you, it's been far too long since I've had such an interesting person here at the mansion."

"Oh please," Angel scoffed, "You live in a mansion of mutants, it hardly gets more interesting than that."

"Yes Angela, but rarely do I meet a super soldier from World War II who was encased in ice for the better part of the century." Charles said as they approached the mansion, "I may be old Angela, but I've hardly seen everything. Though my college years were quite the adventure."

"Now there's a story I want to hear," Angel said with a smile. Steve chuckled and followed Angel and the Professor through the mansion, feeling more relaxed than ever already.

*.*.*.*.*.*.

Sharon waited till well after dark before putting her plan into motion. She ran a hot bath in her bathroom so as to steam up the windows a bit so Clint would think she was busy in there. While the water was running, she made sure her doors and windows were locked tight and the shades were drawn before going to her room and locking her bedroom door. She pulled back the rug on the left side of the bed to reveal the door leading down to the cellar.

Once down there, she dressed in cutoff pants with sneakers and a black sweater on top. She grabbed her emergency backpack and strapped it to her back before turning on her flashlight and making her way through the tunnel. She had constructed it for emergency cases of having to escape intruders, so now she thought was a perfect time to put it into use as Clint was camped out on her front yard.

As she neared the end of the tunnel, she stopped periodically to listen for any sounds of someone following or breaking into the cellar. By the time she reached the end, she was positive that her plan had worked and she was home free.

The end of the tunnel had a small ladder that led to a hatch in the ground that was camouflaged on top so no one could find or detect it. She climbed up easily and slowly opened the hatch, making ginger movements so that no sounds would be made that Clint could hear and potentially come investigate.

Once it was open, Sharon climbed out and closed it again. She straightened up and sighed silently, so far so good…

She began walking a few feet before a stick snapped a few yards away from her. Sharon turned and felt her heart arrest when she saw an enormous wolf watching her from the shadows. Sharon froze, debating on her conflicting instincts to fight or flight.

The wolf began to growl, Sharon was about to take off when an arrow shot out and landed mere in chest from the wolf and let off a tiny explosion of sparks. It didn't harm the animal, but it sure scared the shit out of it as it yelped and ran away.

Sharon turned and saw Clint sitting in a foldout chair, only yards away from the opening of her tunnel. Her mouth gaped open as she saw Clint casually put his bow down and take a bite out of a sandwich he had in his lap.

"You know," He said as he swallowed his bite, "Next time you try to make an escape plan, take into consideration that I've been here for over a day and have had plenty of time to inspect the area. Also, use moss on the lid of your hatch, it'll muffle the clinking sound when it gets stepped on."

Sharon's mouth snapped shut as she straightened herself out. She felt incredibly stupid for not having seen Clint when she had first gotten out of the hatch. She felt even more stupid for not bothering to survey her surroundings as she had gotten out and started to leave. But most of all: Sharon was just all around pissed that her plan was thwarted and she had no escape.

Seeing the indignant expression on Sharon's face was almost enough to make Clint fall off his chair laughing, but he kept up his relaxed façade as he took another bite of his sandwich and took a drink out of his thermos, "Hungry?"

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Sharon yelled, turning around and stomping off. When Clint saw that she wasn't going towards the cabin he stood to follow her, throwing his sandwich in the bushes for the wolf to come back and eat.

"Okay, if you didn't want a sandwich you just had to say so!" He said, knowing he was being a real smartass now but was enjoying Sharon's annoyance far more than he should.

"You're unbelievable!" Sharon yelled, making more ground eating strides to get further away, but Clint was gaining on her.

"Sharon come on!"

"No, you come on! And get the hell out of here! I don't want you here!" Sharon yelled, unsnapping her bag and throwing it on the ground so the weight wouldn't slow her down.

"Sharon we need to talk and I'm not leaving till it happens."

"Well tough shit because I don't want to talk!" She yelled back at him.

"Aren't women supposed to want to talk? That's all you girls ever seem to want to do! What the heck is wrong with you?"

Sharon whirled around and glared at him, "What's WRONG with me!" She shrieked. Clint swallowed as he realized that was the wrong thing to say.

"I didn't mean it like that-"

"You're the one who won't leave me alone!" Sharon yelled, "Ever since we met you've been on my ass asking questions! Who am I? What do I do? Why am I head of the mission? Where did I learn to shoot? Well you know what Clint? Sometimes people don't get to know! You think that you know me? Well you don't and it's going to stay that way. You don't have a right to tell me when and where to go, no right to tell me anything or acting like you own me!"

Clint stared at her a moment, Sharon thought she made her point as she stared right back.

"Did you just quote a Kelly Clarkson song?"

"OH MY GOD!" Sharon yelled to the heavens as she turned and continued walking. Clint jogged to catch up and grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her, whirling her around so she was facing him and grabbing her other shoulder to keep her steady.

"Sharon stop,"

"No YOU stop!" She put two hands on his chest and pushed hard, but he didn't budge, "I came here to get away from all this, to be by myself and have some peace! And you just show up uninvited and practically cage me in."

"Share you and I both know that you're keeping stuff bottled up."

"You don't-"

Clint covered her mouth with his own to shut her up. Her voice died in her throat as he kissed her hard for a solid minute before releasing her.

"Now it's my turn to say something. In case it hasn't been perfectly obvious, I'm crazy about you," Clint said, Sharon's eyes widening as she stared at him, "I have been probably since the beginning. I have never been more fascinated, engaged, enamored, or even frustrated by anyone else. It's not that I won't leave you alone, it's that I _can't _leave you alone."

Sharon's throat seemed to close, making it impossible to say anything as Clint continued talking, "I want to be there for you, to help and support you. But you're going out of your way to make sure that doesn't happen. You don't think I know why, you thought I would just give up and move on. I'm not going to do that," Clint slid a hand up and played with Sharon's hair, "You're not scared, you're terrified out of your mind. And I'm going to promise you here and now that there is nothing you can say or do that will drive me away. I know way more than you're giving me credit for, and I'm still here."

Tears gathered in Sharon's eyes but she refused to blink out of fear of making them fall and Clint seeing. She swallowed again and looked away, "We're not going to do this."

"Not right now we won't, but we will eventually," Clint said, "And I'm going to be right here waiting for when that time comes."

Sharon let out a breath she had been holding in, "I have a guest room, you can stay in there."

Clint's eyebrows rose, "You're actually letting me inside?"

"My cabin, yes," Sharon said, giving Clint a pointed look, "Seeing as you won't let me leave, I might as well just let you stay inside rather than ruin my front lawn."

"Hey, You're lawn was already disheveled when I got here, do you not own a mower?" Clint said, "As for leaving, you can leave at any time you want."

Sharon's eyebrows furrowed, "But I thought you were staying?"

"Oh I'm staying all right," Clint said, "I'm staying wherever you are. Like I said, you can leave at any point in time. Just know that I'm going to go wherever you go and I'll be wherever you are."

"Wow," Sharon said with a nod, "You really are a stalker."

"I prefer the term Hawk," He said with a wink. They then turned and went back to the cabin, Sharon going to her room and locking her door with and sigh as Clint moved about the house moving some of his belongings into Angel's room.

Sharon walked over to her bed and flopped onto it with a heavy sigh; a lot of what Clint had said had been on right on the mark. She was terrified, terrified of so many things that she had lost track of them all. She was still iffy on the idea of talking things out with him, but the idea of getting more comfortable with his presence didn't seem all too bad. She'd done it with Angel, how different could Clint be?

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated!**


	30. Bedroom Hymns

**Dedicated to Kyla, who sadly can't see me today as I have to work an 8 hour shift. BUT I'm keeping the weekend open for her so we can have crazy escapades.**

CHAPTER THIRTY

Sharon walked into the kitchen the next morning with a cranky expression on her face, glaring at Clint who had woken up her up by making noise cooking breakfast.

"Just so we're clear, I do not wake up before eleven for anything or anyone. If I do get woken up, the thing that woke me up gets destroyed, completely obliterated," She said while walking over to the fridge to get some juice, "But I'll let it go this time because you didn't know."

Clint looked over at the wall clock, "It's ten forty-five, Shar."

"I don't care, don't wake me up before eleven!" She growled, feeling ornery and off-kilter with Clint there. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before knowing Clint was in the next room. Thoughts kept her up all night as she wondered how to approach the situation and if maybe there was another way to avoid the talk; but every idea came to a dead end.

"Duly noted, how do you like your eggs?" Clint asked, turning back to the stove.

"Poached with toast please," Sharon said as she walked over to the table and sat.

"Want some coffee?"

"God no, I can't drink the stuff," Sharon said with a wave of her hand, "I'm energetic enough as is, imagine what coffee will do to me. No I only keep the stuff around for Angel."

"Angel stays here often?"

Sharon nodded, "Why do you think I have the extra room? That's Angel's room."

"I thought you said it was a guest room," Clint said, feeling confused.

"Angel is a guest, the only one who ever comes here. The only one who is ever invited here," She said while giving Clint a pointed look. Clint only smirked and chuckled.

"You invited me last night,"

"Because you gave me no choice," Sharon growled.

"I would have been happy to stay in my tent, you didn't have to invite me to stay in Angel's room."

Sharon knew he had her there. She couldn't be angry at his staying in Angel's room. Fact was that she wasn't angry, but uncomfortable and confused. Clint finished putting together Sharon's plate and brought it to her and sat in the chair opposite her to watch her eat.

"It's a great place, you put a lot of heart into it," Clint said as he looked around, "I like all the little touches, mind giving me a tour when you're done?"

Sharon gave him another pointed look, "You already took the liberty of doing that yourself, why take another?"

"Because I want to hear your thoughts and stories on the place," Clint said, Sharon's mouth stopped chewing for a moment as she thought over that statement. It seemed harmless and they didn't have anything better to do; plus it would put off having that talk till later.

"Fine, I'm done anyways," She said as she stood. But Clint beat her to the sink and stole her dishes from her hands.

"Let me do this while you go get dressed," He said as he turned to fill up the sink.

Sharon smiled, "By all means, feel free to do all my dishes. I hate that job,"

She went to her room and put on some jeans and a t-shirt along with her favorite converse. She liked being comfortable and she wasn't really trying to impress Clint, so she put her hair up in a messy pony tail and went out to the living room.

Clint walked in and immediately went over to the various pictures sitting on her bookshelves. There were several of Sharon and Angel in various goofy poses and a few of people Clint didn't recognize. What impressed him the most were the nature shots of landscapes and various wildlife, "Did you take all these?"

"Most of them," Sharon said, "The one's of Angel and I were taken by friends."

"I meant the nature photos, they're really beautiful,"

Sharon blushed, "It's just a hobby, Angel is the real artist. She can draw and paint like no other. You should see her with a photoshop program, she will put anyone to shame on there."

"I'd say that you could give her a run for her money," Clint said as he looked at more of the photos, "Where did you take all these?"

"Mostly around here," Sharon said as she wandered over and picked up a photo, "This one was taken in Paris, you ever been?"

"Many times, but mostly on SHIELD work," Clint said as he looked at the photo, "That's really fantastic Shar."

It was a photo of the Eiffel tower taken at night, it was in black and white with little lights glittering all over the towering structure, "I was lucky to get this shot, you know that point in the night where they light up the tower with the twinkling lights? We were on a river cruise when it happened and I had my camera out in seconds. It was really breathtaking."

"It looks like it," Clint said, Sharon looked to see him staring at her. She blushed again and turned to put the photo back on the shelf.

Clint smiled as she blushed, the look of dedication and passion on her face as she talked about that photo had taken his breath away. It was something she obviously loved to do, so he grabbed on to that fact to use to his advantage, "What kind of camera do you use?"

"Just a digital I've had for a few years, nothing fancy. I keep meaning to get a nicer camera but I don't know much about professional photography to choose the right camera."

Clint tucked that new fact away in his head to use later, glad he brought his computer to do some research later when he would be alone.

*.*.*.*.*.

"For god sake Steve, just get in the damn bed!" Angel yelled as Steve stubbornly laid a blanket on the floor with a pillow and laid down on it.

"I'm fine on the floor Angel," Steve said. Angel let out a huff of breath and sat up and stared at him.

"I'm not going to jump in your sleep and ruin your precious virtue. We've cuddled on your bed before!"

"Yes but we've never slept in one together, I always carried you back to your room when you fell asleep. Now we're already in your room so I'm going to be a gentleman and sleep on the floor."

"Last I checked, dogs sleep on the floor. Handsome boyfriends sleep on the bed with their girlfriend. I'll even make a pillow barrier for you!"

"If I could beat Hydra than I think I can defeat a pillow if I wanted to get to you," Steve said with a chuckle.

"Well maybe I want you to get to me…" Angel said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Steve sighed and sat up to look at Angel.

"I told you, I want to wait."

"I know, I heard you. I just want to be close to you is all." Angel said with a pout.

"I want that too-"

"GREAT! Problem solved! Get in bed." Angel said as she threw back the covers to make room. Steve let out a laugh and stood; he walked over to the bed where Angel waited in anticipation. Much to her disappointment, he reached over to the covers and drew them over her. He tucked her in tightly so she couldn't move and sat beside her.

"Okay, this isn't fair," Angel said, glaring adorably at Steve who couldn't wipe off the amused grin on his face.

"Well I need you to pay attention," He said, getting serious, "I love you, and I want to do this right. I can't do that when your inches away and I wake up in the morning with…"

Steve stopped and blushed. Angel was confused for a moment before a light bulb went off in her head, "Morning wood?" She asked.

Angel burst into a fit of giggles as she watched Steve's face grow even redder, "You didn't have to put it so crudely. I wake up and all I can think about is you and how you would feel next to me, and it… sets me off."

Angel should have felt embarrassed, but she felt a huge sense of pride well up in her chest as a huge shit-eating smile spreads on her face, "You want me?"

Steve nodded, "Badly. I know you're eager to have sex, but I want to do the right thing and wait. And sleeping in this bed with you tonight will have dire circumstances in the morning that we'll both regret."

Angel sighed and looked up at him, "I hate that I find it sexy when you're being all moral. But it's why I love you so much."

Steve smiled and leaned down to kiss Angel, lingering for a moment before pulling back, "I love you Angela Stark, and I'm determined to do right by you. Even if you're determined to thwart my gentlemanly plan."

Angel giggled, "And thwart I shall do."

*.*.*.*.*.

Clint and Sharon spent the day wandering the property, Clint listening and occasionally asking questions as Sharon told stories. He smiled every time her face lit up with a new story to tell or a fun fact about the place. It was obvious to him that she put her heart and soul into the place, it was her piece of heaven and the more she shared it with him, the more he felt privileged to be there with her.

"-and then Angel decides to be funny and hide in my closet and jump out at me in a ghost face costume and scare the shit out of me. That was the first time I made a serious attempt at using the tunnel." She said with a laugh, Clint smiled at the twinkle in Sharon's eyes as she described yet another escapade.

"Sounds like you scare easily,"

"Not really, Angel just knows how to make me jump. To make me freak out more, she managed to run to the entrances of the tunnel with just enough time to scare me again as I came out. I just about killed her with a roundhouse kick to the head."

Clint laughed out loud at that picture, "If it scares you so much, why do you watch those movies? I've never seen them but they seem pretty tame to me."

"The Scream movies are classics!" Sharon exclaimed, "They count for the number two spot on my list of favorite films!"

"But they're horror movies, you said you hate horror."

"Scream is self-mocking horror. It's more funny than it is scary. I'll show them to you so you get the idea."

"I don't know… I don't want you freaking out on me."

"oh shut up!" Sharon said as she smacked his arm. Clint laughed as Sharon shook her head and rolled her eyes, "I'm not that wimpy, I just have a low tolerance for scary things."

"Says the woman who went up against a demi-god."

Sharon didn't respond to that one, choosing instead to pick up a stick and peel at the bark on it. Clint stopped to look at Sharon, "It was impressive you know."

Sharon shrugged, wishing to stay off the topic of that incident, "I did what I had to do."

"You know, you sound pretty demeaning for a girl who always complains about being underestimated."

Sharon smiled, "I'm a girl, I'm naturally conflicting in my thinking and make hypocritical statements all the time."

Clint chuckled, "Yeah well, I think you're pretty damn powerful when you want to be."

"Yes well, at that point in time I wasn't powerful because I wanted to be," Sharon said with a note of disdain, feelings of anger welling up inside her a bit, "It was forced on me."

Clint nodded, "Did it hurt?"

Sharon sighed, "I wouldn't say it hurt, so much that it was crippling. Having all that power vibrating inside and pulsing through my skin with no way of escaping. I couldn't move in the dome much less barely breathe."

Clint watched her as her emotions rapidly crossed her face, he reached out and touched her arm, "It's unfair that someone would do that to you."

"It was rape," Sharon said matter of factly. Clint stepped back with a look of shock on his face. Sharon continued, "Not sexual rape, he didn't force himself on me. He forced the power on me, forcing me to absorb it and hold it in until it crippled me."

"That's not rape Sharon," Clint said, turning her to face him, "That's using you, which is just as bad as rape."

"Whatever," Sharon said with a shrug. Clint looked at her and assessed her, but she seemed to not care.

"I won't use you Shar,"

Sharon snorted and broke away, walking back to her cabin, "I'm going to take a bath."

Clint stood where he was as he watched Sharon walked away. He'd hit a touchy subject, but he knew that that would happen. He was happy that she had been so open with him up until that point. _I just have to find a way to approach the subject without her freezing me out…_

* * *

__**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	31. How Do You Love Someone?

**I know it's been a few days, I've been in a bit of a writers slump where I've known what I want to write but couldn't find the motivation to do it. Thankfully though, today Kyla and I have been having a Marvel Marathon (I'm watching Iron Man 2 as we speak) and I got a ton of new ideas and inspiration. We went and saw Avengers again (for the fourth time...) and got ideas for NEW FICS! So look forward to those :)**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who the Tink to my Sponge**

**And a special Dedication to Kyla's sister Aidan, who came up with the amazing nicknames for Wolverine you will be seeing.**

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

"I'm seriously considering manipulating him into doing it, I'm that frustrated!" Angel exclaimed as she paced impatiently in her hotel room.

Sharon chuckled on the other end of the phone call, "I don't think manipulation is the answer here, it would basically be rape."

"No it wouldn't! I'm just pushing him to do something he already wants to do! It's just getting past those damn morals of his," Angel growled out.

Sharon laughed even harder, "You've spent years bitching about how there aren't any men with morals, and now you have one and you're desperate to get rid of those morals? Angel you're starting to sound like me."

"I am not!"

"Oh you so are," Sharon said, "You're speaking with your vagina!"

Angel huffed a little, knowing that Sharon was right and she was being unreasonable, "I just want him so bad! Is that a crime?"

"No," Sharon said, "But you should want to have sex when the moment is right, not because you forced Steve into it."

"Stop being the sensible one," Angel said, "That's my job."

"Yeah well the tables have turned bitch," Sharon said with a laugh, "And you deserve it after sending Clint over here when I specifically had you promise not do tell him!"

"I didn't tell him! Coulson did, I didn't break anything. Besides, I never said I wouldn't encourage it," Angel said, "Besides, is it really so terrible?"

Sharon sighed, the past week had been pretty nice. Clint hadn't brought up the 'talk' again; all they had done was spend their days wandering around and chatting, getting to know a bit about each other. She loved hearing stories about his time in the circus, thinking that must have been such a weird upbringing.

But still there was a weight in her chest, always worried about when he's going to bring up the subject of 'the talk'. She wasn't even entirely sure what was going to be talked about, which freaked her out the most. They'd already broached some tough subjects, what her mutation was and her time at Xavier's. She never talked about what happened with Stryker, and she would see herself to hell before talking about it with Clint.

"Well I'm gonna go and try not to act like a sex crazed horndog," Angel said, "Which will be hard since we're going swimming and I'll have to see that torso of his…"

"Just don't go manipulating him," Sharon said, "You'd regret it."

"Yeah well…. The thought is tempting."

Sharon laughed and hung up, shaking her head at Angel's frustrations. She wandered back out to the living room where Clint was sitting on the couch reading a book. He looked up as she entered, "How's Angel doing?"

"Frustrated," Sharon said with a cackle, "She wants Steve so bad."

Clint chuckled, "Speaking as a guy, I would have to agree that the man has something going for him."

Sharon chuckled and went into the kitchen, deciding to finish backing those cookies she'd started putting together earlier. She was rolling out some dough and putting flour on it when Clint came in a brushed past her; his hand lightly touching her lower back before going over to the fridge.

Sharon's spine tingled at the heat of his touch; he'd been doing little touches and brushes for the past week, but never went beyond that. It was driving her nuts, because she wanted him bad.

She swallowed and continued sprinkling flour on the dough as Clint grabbed a drink from the fridge and turned to watch Sharon, "I can see why they always said that a woman's place was in the kitchen."

Sharon's mouth dropped open as she gawked at Clint, "Did you really just say that! TO ME!"

Clint backtracked, "I didn't mean it in a sexist way! I just meant you look hot in here!"

Sharon rolled her eyes, "You're such a goober!" She threw a little bit of flour at Clint. The white got all over his black shirt, he looked up at her with a determined look as he took a step forward.

Sharon bolted around to the other side of the island and grabbed a spatula, "I'm armed!"

"Oh I'm so scared! Whatcha gonna do? Flip me?" Clint said as he grabbed some flour.

"Yeah, the bird maybe," She said as she stuck up her middle finger. Clint threw a handful of flour at Sharon, laughing as it coated her and she coughed a little.

"Oh it's so on," Sharon said as she tossed some at him, thus commencing the fifteen-minute flour fight they had. Within seconds the place was coated with a fine layer of white powder.

"You're cleaning this up," Sharon said as the two of them looked over the warzone they'd created.

"I don't think so," Clint said with a smirk, "Not my kitchen."

"You started it with your comment, you clean it." Sharon said as she turned to go shower off. Clint's hand shot out and grabbed her by the bicep and pulled her back.

"Oh no you don't," He grabbed her around the abdomen and dragged her into the middle of the kitchen, "You're not getting away that easily."

Sharon squirmed until she lost her balance and started to fall, bringing Clint down with her. They landed on the floor and a giant cloud of flour floated up and around them. Sharon began to laugh at the sight until she started to cough a little.

"Well that didn't help us any," She said, starting to move to get up but Clint's grip around her middle tightened. She looked to see him watching her intently. She leaned in the same time he did and closed her eyes as their lips met one another.

They hadn't kissed since the week before in her kitchen, that kiss had been hard and controlling, this one was slow and free. Clint rolled on top of Sharon and took control, and she was happy to let him. His lips softly pried at hers until they opened and let his tongue enter and probe her mouth.

Sharon moaned as her hands wandered up his sides and felt along the muscles on his shoulders and back. His hands came to her head and pressed his mouth harder to hers, moving his lips along the side of her jaw and moving to suckle her neck for a while. She moaned some more as she let her legs part so that he could settle between them.

She felt herself grow warm and wet has his pelvis pressed against hers, reminding her of what happened in his next so long ago. Pleasure shot through her system as she anticipated a repeat performance of that encounter.

"_Just as soon as we have that talk, we'll get back to discussing my 'alright' sexual prowess."_

Sharon froze when she remembered what Clint had told her a week ago. Clint felt her tense underneath him and looked to see the expression of confusion on her face, "What's wrong?"

"This is a ploy, isn't it?" She said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Clint said, but she pushed him off her and stood quickly.

"I can't believe I was so stupid," She muttered, "This was your way of making me want to talk, of forcing it out."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clint said, standing and starting for Sharon but she held a hand up and walked around the island so he wouldn't touch her.

"You haven't been able to leave the subject alone, 'Sharon we need to talk' 'Sharon we'll have earth shattering sex when we talk' 'I'm not going to leave you alone until you talk', I never thought you would stoop so low as to seduce me for information. But you know I really shouldn't be surprised considering who your partner is."

"Don't bring Natasha into this," Clint said, pinning Sharon with an intense stare, "This has nothing to do with seduction, this about me wanting to be with you and you're pushing me away yet again."

"No, this is you not being able to respect space and my wishes. I really shouldn't be surprised that you would do this, you are a SHIELD agent."

"Sharon that's enough,"

"No it's not! I came here to get away from you and you're here trying to control me,"

"I'm here trying to show you that someone actually wants to be with you!"

"I don't need anyone to be with me!"

"Because you're scared!"

"I am not scared! Why would I want someone around trying to take care of me when I can very well take care of myself!"

"Because that's what someone does for someone they love!" Clint shouted. Sharon stopped and stared at him, the blood draining from her face.

"Sharon don't-"

Sharon turned and walked out, locking herself in her bedroom. Clint knocked on her door, "Sharon don't lock me out."

Sharon ignored his calls and knocks, lying on her bed and curling in on herself while she tried to stop the hyperventilating. But panic shuddered through her system as she repressed more memories and feelings that she felt herself drowning in. Soon her vision began to fade as her body tried to take in more air than it could and she passed out on her bed.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel laid on a lounge by the hotel pool in her new bikini. She was trying to relax but she couldn't watching Steve swimming laps in the pool. It increased her frustration more, as they had arrived earlier that week and she found that Steve had called ahead to book a room with two beds so they couldn't sleep together. To say she was angry wasn't an exaggeration, she hadn't spoken to him since they arrived two days ago.

Now she felt her frustration grow as a group of girls giggled nearby as they ogled Steve.

"Oh give me a freakin break," Angel muttered. She looked up when a shadow fell over her, "Uh excuse me?"

"I'm not excusing myself until I get an explanation why you didn't call me so I could come give you a hug when you visited the mansion."

Angel shrieked and jumped up and wrapped her arms around the man's neck, "TINKLES!"

"Hey kid," Logan laughed, "Please tell me you're not still calling me that."

"I will never not call you that!" She laughed, hugging him hard.

"I guess some things don't change," He said as he set her down, "You're looking like a woman now, Small Fry."

"Well that's what happens after puberty," Angel said with a laugh, grinning up at Logan. Logan was like the uncle she never had, he'd been one of her favorite teachers at the mansion. She enjoyed getting him mad by acting all snarky and calling him stupid nicknames.

"Angel?" She turned and saw Steve standing behind her, "Who's your friend?"

Angel swallowed, noticing how hot Steve looked with the water dripping down his chest, "This is Logan, an old friend of mine."

Logan held out a hand, "Hey."

Steve grasped his hand, Angel's eyebrow rose when she noticed both of them clenching their hands hard in an obvious pissing match.

"Tinkles this is Steve Rogers, my boyfriend."

Logan's eyebrows raised up, "Boyfriend eh? Didn't realize you were dating anyone."

"Yeah, she is," Steve said, staring intently at Logan while Logan remained unaffected.

"Well she's a handful, I hope you don't mind letting her have her way all the time."

Angel laughed and smacked Logan on the arm, "You can't always get your way Logan,"

"Well you saw to it, Kid," Logan said with a grin.

Steve watched the two of them interact and felt feelings of jealousy well up in his chest. He'd been amused at Angel's anger for the past few days, his pride swelling a little bit that she wanted him so bad. Now that this guy was here he felt his territory was being encroached upon.

"Are you staying here?" Angel asked.

"Yeah for a few nights, I've been wandering the area when I checked in at the mansion and found out you were there. So I thought I'd come see you."

"You should join us for dinner!" Angel said, "Please! I have so much to tell you."

"Is it alright with the boyfriend?"

"Well actu-"

"Of course it is!" Angel said, "Isn't it Steve?"

Steve cursed internally but plastered a hesitant smile on his face, "Sure,"

"Excellent!" Angel said while clapping, "We'll meet you in the lobby at 6?"

"Sure thing, Kid. See you there Steve." Logan said before hugging Angel once more and turning to leave.

"Oh I'm so happy! I'm going to go take a shower!" Angel said, gathering her things and heading up to the room. Steve followed close behind her.

"How do you know that guy again?"

"We were at Xavier's together. He occasionally works with the XMen." Angel said casually as they ascended the stairs to go to their room.

"The XMen?" Steve asked, the name sounding familiar to him but the information escaping him at the moment.

"Yeah, the mutant team that Charles founded to help with world crisis'."

"I've heard a few things about them," Steve said, trying to remember what he had learned. The name Logan didn't ring a bell, he was a big looking fellow so Steve figured he probably had super strength of some fashion. _He had a good grip, I wonder what his mutation is…_

"You might know him as Wolverine." Angel said as she walked into their room and headed for the bathroom.

Steve stood in the middle of the room while he processed that information. He knew very well who Wolverine was, and that didn't make him feel any better about the relationship between him and Angel.

_This is the guy with the adamantium skeleton and retractable claws! Christ, how close were these two?_

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	32. My Immortal

**Two chapters in one night! I must really love you guys... or this story... **

**I love angst, if that's not made obvious in this chapter than I don't know what I have to do to convince you all that I do.**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who would have claimed Loki if I hadn't done so when we saw Thor opening night.**

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Steve paced the room impatiently as he waited for Angel to come out of the bathroom. She'd spent the entire afternoon in there taking a bath and prepping for their dinner. Steve was uncomfortable with the amount of effort she was putting into getting ready for their dinner. She obviously wanted to make an impression on Logan, which had him wondering if there had been feelings there before she met Steve.

The door to the bathroom opened and Steve turned to see Angel come out in a gorgeous coral dress with black pumps. Her hair was curled so it bounced around her shoulders as she walked. The sight took his breath away as he watched her walk over to her suitcase to put on some earrings.

"You look beautiful," Steve said quietly as he went to put on his dinner jacket.

"Thanks," Angel said as she put in her earrings and went to put her purse together.

"You seem excited," Steve noted, watching Angel closely to measure her reactions.

"It's been a while since I've seen Logan, I'm happy he came to see me," She said with a smile.

Steve's jealousy welled up in his chest, he hated that he wasn't the cause of that smile. _Maybe I've been way too strict on the no sex thing…_

"We better get going," Angel said, putting her lipstick in her purse and snapping it shut, "We're meeting him in two minutes."

Steve had always thought the day he first woke up from his coma had been the most jarring, uncomfortable experience he ever had. He took that back as he found himself sitting at the table watching Angel smile and laugh as she and Logan swapped stories of their various escapades. If he wasn't sure before, he was sure now that there were feelings between the two of them and he was sure they were romantic.

"And then Sharon walked in and slipped on the floor and fell face first and got that nasty nosebleed," Angel said with a laugh. Logan sat back and threw his head back with a laugh.

"She didn't talk to me for weeks after that. Thank god her nose didn't get messed up or she might have never spoken to me ever again. How is she doing?" Logan asked.

"You know Sharon too?" Steve asked.

"Of course," Logan said; looking at Steve like he was retarded, "Sharon and Angel were practically inseparable. I was worried they were Siamese twins for a while there."

"Hey we've been separated for about two weeks now, that's an all time record for us" Angel said.

"Whoa! You feeling alright kid?" Logan jokingly reached to feel Angel's forehead.

"I'm fine you oaf," Angel said, smacking his hand away, "She's taking some time to herself out at her cabin with her own guy."

"Shar got a guy too?" Logan's eyebrows raised, "And she didn't scare him off?"

"Not this time," Angel said with a chuckle.

"Well I'll be damned, a lot has happened since I last saw you," Logan said, "I'll be better about keeping contact with you ladies from now on."

"We'd love that," Angel said, covering Logan's hand with her own, "Otherwise I'd have to manipulate you into doing so."

"No manipulation necessary here, Sweetheart," Logan said, standing up, "I'm gonna head back to my room for the night, I'll see you tomorrow, Small Fry."

"Okay," Angel said, standing to give him another hug, "It was great to see you, Tinkles."

"You too," He said, turning to Steve and giving him a nod, "Take care of her Captain,"

"I plan to," Steve said, glaring as Logan left the table and Angel sat back down and looked at Steve with confusion.

"What's with the look?"

"Nothing, I think I'm just a bit tired."

"Well I'm done here if you want to go back to the room."

Steve nodded and stood up and held her chair as she grabbed her purse and got up as well. He followed her out the restaurant and the walked in silence back to their room.

Angel immediately went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Steve sat on his bed and started taking off his boots when he noticed the bathroom door was cracked open a little bit and he had a perfect view of her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She was taking off her dress, leaving her only in a thin white slip. He felt his breathing quicken as he fought the urge to go in there and press her body to his.

That was the way Angel found him as she exited the bathroom in her boxers and tshirt she wore as pajamas, "feeling okay there slick?"

"Yeah… just fine," Steve muttered, taking off his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Angel folded her dress and put it back in her suitcase, noticing how nice her back end looked as she bent over. He finished taking off his shirt and threw it behind him and walked over to Angel. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up and around so she faced him.

"Steve what-" but his mouth covered hers before she could finish the sentence. He moved her until she was pressed against the wall, his mouth covering hers completely as he pressed himself against her.

Before she knew it, Steve picked her up and carried her to his bed where he placed her down and crawled on top of her. He began to kiss her neck and play with the bottom of her shirt before she put her hands on his chest and pushed until he looked down at her.

"What are you doing Steve?" Angel asked.

"I thought it was pretty obvious…" He said, leaning down to take her mouth again. Angel moved her head so he kissed her cheek instead.

"Steve stop," She said, pushing him until he rolled off her and she sat up. She turned to look at him and fixed him with a stare, "This wouldn't have to do with Logan, does it?"

"Is it so bad that I want to get close to you?"

"Oh please," Angel said with a scoff, "You've been preaching for weeks about waiting and have been keeping me at arms length. So don't go acting like you spontaneously want to jump my bones now."

Steve sighed and laid back, "I hated watching you with him. There's something there."

"He's a friend, Steve," Angel said, "And just because you're a little jealous does not mean we should have sex so you can mark me as your territory."

Steve opened his mouth to object, but the look on Angel's face told him to keep his mouth shut. That was exactly what he had been trying to do, and shame and regret filled him as he realized he was about to break his own morals.

"I'm going to bed Steve, to sleep," She said, standing and moving over to her bed and turning down the covers. She climbed in and turned off the light, rolling so her back was facing Steve.

Steve got up and walked over to her bed, moving the covers so he could slide in beside her.

"Don't even think about it," Angel said, not moving to even look at him.

"What, I can't sleep with you?"

"You most certainly cannot," Angel said, rolling to pin him with another stare, "You will go and sleep in your own bed."

"But I thought you wanted to sleep together?"

"And I thought you were trying to be respectable and moral," Angel said, "Go back to your own bed before I manipulate you."

Steve turned and went to his own bed, feeling like a miserable idiot doing so. _Didn't understand women in the forties, I don't even have a chance now._

_*.*.*.*.*.*._

Clint realized after about fifteen minutes that he could knock and yell all he wanted, but Sharon wouldn't be coming out of her room anytime soon. Short of knocking down the door, he knew that it would be a long time before she would come out and see him.

He went into the kitchen and looked at the mess they made, walking over to the supply closet to bring out a mop and bucket. He figured he might as well clean while he waited.

He cleaned the entire kitchen, taking care to mop up all the flour on the ground and wipe off the counter tops. He went to his room and took a short shower and changed so that he would be clean too.

It was about an hour before he was finished with the kitchen, the place spotless and shining. By then the sun was descending and darkness fell. Clint went to the living room and sat, waiting for Sharon to appear. He figured she would get hungry at some point and come out and he could approach her gently. He wanted to explain that he wasn't seducing her so she would talk. He honestly wanted to be with her.

Fact of the matter was, Clint knew that she would talk to him when she was ready. Throughout the past week he'd been approaching topics one at a time and taking his time getting Sharon to open about each one. So far they had discussed her fears of people reactions to her mutation, her time at Xavier's, the extent of her powers, and a little on her need to have control over her own safety rather than let others save her.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how it could seem like he was seducing her to talk. He felt stupid for having gone so fast with her, he should have taken his time with her.

He sat there with his thoughts for another hour, darkness falling outside. The house was silent, Clint was surprised he hadn't heard any sound come from Sharon's room.

At that thought Clint stood and bolted for the door, running out and taking off in the direction of the tunnel hatch. The hatch was still closed when he got there, he searched around the opening with his small flashlight. There were no fresh footprints or signs that Sharon might have escaped again.

There was no handle to open the hatch on this end, Clint looked all over for a means to open it. Upon looking at the cracks he didn't see a lock in place from the other end. With that observation he stood and walked back to the cabin, walking in and silently walking to Sharon's door.

At first he heard silence, but as he listened closer he heard some sniffling and whimpers. She was crying, and the feeling of helplessness and the need to hold her overwhelmed him.

He walked out to his car and opened the trunk, grabbing his crowbar and shutting the door before starting for the hatch again. He hoped he was right in his assumption that it wasn't locked as he wedged it in the crack and levered it. He was pleased when there was an immediate give and the Hatch cracked open.

He opened it completely and dropped down and inspected the area. The tunnel was well lit, so Clint could see that there weren't any tracks or evidence of recent activity. After closing the hatch and locking it behind him, he walked down the tunnel quietly.

As he got closer to the cellar, he could hear the whimpers of Sharon's crying grow a little louder. He hurried along until he reached the cellar and found the stairs leading to her room. He climbed up and opened the hatch slowly, peeking his head up to check if she was out of bed.

He then crawled out and closed it silently before crouching and looking up onto the bed slowly; what he saw broke his heart.

Sharon was curled into a bawl in the middle of the bed, her knees were pressed to her chest as her elbows and forearms were pressed together to make a shield over her chest and face. Her body shook and shivered as she continued to cry and whimper.

Clint stood and walked around to the side Sharon was facing; because it was dark he couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. He sat down gently on the side of the bed and brushed her hair out of her face and saw tears streaming from her closed eyelids.

She sobbed a little louder and began to shake her head rapidly at his touch, her whimpering sounding more like real words.

"Please just stop. No more. Please." She was saying, more tears coming as her body shook to hold back more sobs.

"Sharon I won't hurt you," Clint said, moving closer but Sharon batted his hands away from her and started to thrash on the bed. Clint watched in horror as she fought invisible hands and batted at the air and shrieked with sobs, more begging and pleading escaping from her mouth as she shrieked some more.

_What the hell is going on!_ Clint thought, realizing he caught her in the middle of a nightmare and touching her was only making it worse.

"Sharon wake up, I need you to open your eyes and look at me," He said, but she only threw out another hand to bat away an invisible adversary.

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST LET ME DIE!" She screamed, rolling over again and sobbing into the surface of the bed.

Clint battled with the urge to just pull her into his arms, but he could tell that would only make her more violent and there was a risk of her absorbing his abilities and fighting back. He looked around to see what he could use when he saw the door to her attached bathroom open. He rushed in and grabbed the cup by the sink, filling it with cold water quickly and bringing it back into the room.

Sharon was clawing at her arms to remove invisible bonds, her nails beginning to create some serious damage to her arms. Clint took the cup and dumped the cold water on Sharon's head, drenching her and her hair.

She sat up with a yelp and looked around wide-eyed. Clint put the cup down and moved slowly over to the bed, "Sharon?"

Her head turned to see him, but she seemed to be looking right through him. She stared for a few minutes longer before her face crumpled and she fell back to the bed and started to silently cry.

Clint moved and gathered her in his arms and held her in his lap. Sharon put her arms around him and buried her face in his neck as she continued to cry and shake. Clint held her there while she cried, not sure how long it would take until she would invariably push him away like the last time, but he swore he would hold her until she stopped.

He waited until she was still and silent in his arms, but she never once moved to leave his embrace or push him away. He waited a long time before moving to see if she was still awake. He brushed her wet hair out of her face to see her asleep, her face peaceful despite the red around her eyes and the stains on her cheeks from tears shed.

Refusing to let her go, he shifted so she laid on the dry side of the bed while he spooned her from behind on the wet spot where the water had been dumped. He held her close to his chest and kissed the top of her head, refusing to let go and let the demons come back and torment her.

_I'll do whatever it takes to rid her of all her suffering_, he vowed, _I will fight her demons even if it kills me, I will give her the peace she deserves._

* * *

**ANNOUNCEMENT: I will be posting the first chapter of my Bruce/Natasha fic shortly! It will be a spinoff of this fic, starting off around chapter 8 of this fic. I hope you all like it as much as you like this one :)**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	33. You've Got a Friend in Me

**For those of you who haven't seen, I have posted the prologue for my Bruce/Natasha fic titles The Other Side of Me! Go have a look and let me know what you think!**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who looks like a chipmunk today**

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Sharon awoke slowly, her eyes heavy and tired from the tears she'd shed the night before. The sunlight streamed from her window and lit her room up warmly. She became aware of the movement of a chest on her back.

Her eyes looked to see two arms wrapped around her abdomen, holding her to Clint's front. She concentrated a moment longer and judged his breathing to be deep enough to prove sleep.

Proving once again she was as slick as she thought she was, she slid out of his grip without waking him. She stood and looked to see Clint sleeping, his clothes rumpled and damp from sleeping on the wet portion of her bed. Her mind flashed back to her awakening from him splashing cold water on her last night.

Her heart felt heavy as she realized he'd probably witnessed a performance of her having a nightmare, a site only Angel had ever been a witness to. She walked into her bathroom and washed her face of the tearstains on her cheeks and brushed her hair back into a ponytail.

Clint was still asleep on the bed when Sharon walked back out. She grabbed her cell phone from its charger and put it in her pocket as she went to her door. She stopped when she noticed it was still locked without any signs of forced entry. She went over to her windows and looked to see if they had been opened but they were all still locked from the night before.

Her eyes furrowed in confusion as her mind spun to figure out how Clint had gotten into her room when she realized he knew about her tunnel. She'd never locked it after that night a week ago. She looked at the door and could see the carpet that normally covered it had slid out of place as if the door had been opened.

Having figured that mystery out she unlocked her bedroom door and went out to the kitchen. She stopped in the entrance when she saw the place was spotless, not a speck of flour in sight.

Surprised that there weren't any bits of evidence of their battle from the evening before Sharon could practically hear Angel's voice in her head crowing, _he's willing to clean the kitchen for you, obviously he's perfect for you._

Sharon shook the voice out of her head and walked over to the stove and putting the kettle on to heat up some tea for her. The kettle had begun to whistle and Sharon was pouring the hot water into her mug when she heard footsteps come down the hall from her bedroom. She looked up as Clint entered the kitchen and stopped in the doorway to watch Sharon put together her tea.

"Morning," He said, his voice deep from sleep. Sharon swallowed back the thoughts of how much that voice made her want to press herself up against him and do things that would put porn stars to shame.

"Morning," She said, her voice hoarse from sobbing and crying.

"How are you?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to scare her off.

"Fine," She answered, taking a sip of her hot teeth and ignoring the burning feeling it made as she swallowed a mouthful.

Clint opened his mouth to say something else when Sharon's phone began to ring in her pocket.

She pulled it out and answered it, "Hello?"

"Miss Carver?"

"Agent Coulson, how can I help you?" Sharon asked, thankful for the distraction.

"We need you and Agent Barton to come in, a situation has come up."

"Has the Tesseract been taken again?" Sharon asked, setting her cup down and making eye contact with Clint, who was now listening intently.

"The Tesseract is safe. We need to assemble the Avengers for a different threat. We've already made contact with Miss Stark and Captain Rogers who are now on their way in. This is a situation that will more likely affect you the most. The briefing is this evening."

"We'll be there," Sharon said, hanging up and turning to Clint who was already turning to go pack up his car.

"How soon can you get us there?" Sharon asked.

"This afternoon, I've got a jet on standby nearby." Clint said, "Go pack what you need and we'll leave in an hour."

Sharon nodded and went to her room, moving to pull out her duffel from her closet when she heard Clint come to her doorway.

She looked up and saw Clint watching her, "You okay?"

Sharon swallowed and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Clint walked over and pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Sharon awkwardly stood with her arms at her sides for a moment, not used to this sort of affection and not entirely sure how to react to it.

Clint pulled back and smiled kindly, "Don't worry, I'll help you along the way."

Sharon's heart squeezed and she pressed her lips together to keep them from quivering. She wanted to cry again, but she needed to focus on the task at hand and settled for just a nod as she turned away and pulled out her duffel and set it on her bed and began to pack what she needed as Clint went to his room to pack.

It took less then fifteen minutes for them both to pack up Clint's car and only thirty to clean the house and lock it up before leaving. Sharon was sad to leave the place behind again, but she was eager for the distraction that would await them at the SHIELD helicarrier.

*.*.*.*.*.

Angel went straight to her quarters upon landing on the carrier, leaving Steve to go to his own quarters. The two hadn't spoken since they'd gotten the phone call to come in. Angel was still angry at Steve's ridiculous behavior from the night before. Knowing Sharon would be joining her soon gave her a small amount of relief, as she would have her best friend there to vent and bitch to.

She unpacked her belongings and sat on her bed as she decided what she would do next. Sharon wasn't due to arrive for another few hours, so Angel would have to keep herself occupied for the duration of that time to keep herself from going stir crazy.

Not wanting to see Steve at the moment, Angel decided to go visit the Tesseract lab where she hoped she would find Bruce and see if there was work to do. She entered the lab and her eyes widened as took in the sight of Pepper throwing a clipboard at Tony's head.

"Are you crazy!" Tony yelled but Pepper was beyond control.

"You're an idiot!" She yelled at him, whirling to leave the room but pausing when she saw Angel standing there, "Oh Angel, I didn't see you there."

"I just walked in, everything okay here?"

"Everything is fine," Pepper said before walking to make her exit.

"Yes… because throwing clipboards at your fiancée's head is perfectly normal…" Tony muttered, Pepper whirled around and fixed him with a glare.

"It's normal when he's gone and decided that we're getting married and announces it to the public before bothering to ask me!" Pepper snarled.

"Wow Tony," Angel said, "Way to get the girl."

"I was working up to it! It slipped out!" Tony said, "I wasn't thinking!

"You're damn right you weren't thinking!" Pepper growled, "This is why I won't marry you!"

"Pepper, come on!"

"I'm leaving and don't you dare follow me out! Angel, manipulate him if you have to," With that Pepper stormed out of the room, leaving Angel and Tony alone.

"So…" Angel started, "Still as stupid as ever I see."

"I'm sorry, who's the one who built an arc reactor in a cave?"

"You don't get to use that excuse anymore Tony," Angel shot back at him, shaking her head, "What did you think was going to happen?"

"It honestly just slipped out. I thought that she would be overwhelmed with shock and joy!" Tony said, sitting heavily in a desk chair and resting his head in his hands, "I haven't even chosen a ring yet…"

Angel sighed and walked over to Tony, she pulled up another desk chair and sat down beside him. He looked up, "Don't manipulate me Angel, I'm still in control here."

"I know that, I'm attempting at a real moment of sisterly comfort. Don't ruin it!" With that she pulled Tony into a hug, "You may be a doofus, but Pepper loves you. Give her time to cool down and then try again."

Tony nodded and sighed, "Would using the mach 5 be a little much?"

"Just a tad," Angel said, knowing she was going to have to work with Tony on this, "Don't go to buy the ring without me, you're going to need my help on this one whether you like it or not."

*.*.*.*.*.

Clint and Sharon's arrival to the carrier had its similarities to Steve and Angel's. While the two weren't necessarily angry at each other, there was an air of awkward tension as the two didn't talk or mention the night before.

Sharon grabbed her duffel and exited the jet without a word to Clint; he followed closely behind and walked with her until they reached her quarters.

"I'm going to be at my nest, see you at the meeting?" Clint said. Sharon nodded, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "I meant what I said before."

With that he left her standing there, feelings welling up in her chest with no means of escape. With that she walked into her quarters, disappointed that Angel wasn't there to talk to. Sharon didn't have the patience to stick around and wait nor did she want to wander around the carrier to look for Angel, so she dumped her duffel and left the room.

She headed in the familiar direction of the weapons room, bypassing that to go into the boxing room. Her mouth quirked into a smirk as she saw Steve going at the punching bag. The scene was all too familiar and filled her with amusement as she guessed what he was frustrated about.

"Long day?" she called out.

Steve recognized her voice but didn't pause, "You have no idea. But seeing as Angel is your best friend, I imagine that you do."

Sharon chuckled, "slow down there slugger and sit and talk with me."

Steve sighed and stopped punching the bag. He straightened up and walked to the bench and sat down, Sharon walked over and did the same.

"We seem to be finding ourselves on this bench a lot," Sharon said, Steve chuckled.

"You're having troubles too?"

"That would be putting it lightly," Sharon said with her own sigh.

"Wanna go first?"

"Nah, your troubles are more entertaining," she said, "Spill."

Once he started, Steve couldn't stop. He started with his beliefs in waiting until the right moment and wanting everything to be perfect. He didn't want to hurt Angel and because he was inexperienced himself he knew that it was a distinct possibility.

He then moved on to their meeting with Logan and the feelings of jealousy that have been consuming him ever since. He felt himself go red with shame and embarrassment as he recounted his actions the night before and admitted his less than noble motives behind them.

When he was done, Sharon sat in silence for a moment to process it all before chuckling, "Well aren't you on thin ice, eh Cap?" She laughed out loud while Steve glared at her, "I'm sorry, I can't resist a good pun."

"You think you're funny…"

"Oh I know I'm funny," Sharon said, "What's funnier is how mistaken you are about Logan, he's practically an uncle to us."

Steve looked at her with a confused expression, "What do you mean?"

"Logan is older than you are, he's been around for god knows how long. For Angel to get into a relationship with him would be something akin to pedophilia," Sharon said, shuddering at the thought, "We've known Logan since we were little girls, the man hardly ages so he looks the same as he did then."

"So, they weren't together at any point?"

"God no!" Sharon said with a laugh, "It would be like incest to Angel, she see's him as family."

"Ugh!" Steve hit his forehead with his hand, "How do I keep doing this to myself?"

"Don't be to hard on yourself cap, you're out of time and aren't used to social customs of the new millennia." Sharon patted him on the back, "You're not the only one who messes up, you know?"

Steve looked up and nodded, "Your turn to spill?"

Sharon sighed, the weight returning to her stomach and the confusion welling up in her head, "I'm sure Angel's told you a lot about me."

"Only the good stuff," Steve said with a smile, "What you told me the last time we were here is the extent of what I know about your troubles."

Sharon nodded and swallowed, "I haven't told Clint about my time with Stryker, I'm pretty sure he has no idea I was ever with Stryker. I've taken measures to make sure no one knows of my past. As of right now only you, Angel, and Fury know of that point in my past. I wish I could keep it that way."

"But keeping that a secret doesn't open you up to a relationship, does it?"

Sharon shook her head, "I went to my cabin because I was determined not to get into a relationship with Clint, to make space so that he could forget and move on. So much for that plot?"

"Yeah… sorry about that…" Steve said sheepishly, "For the record, we did it for your own good."

Sharon chuckled, "I guess, I can see where you guys were coming from, and I appreciate it. I'm just still figuring out how to… deal with it all I guess."

"What is there to deal with?" Steve asked.

"I've never done a relationship before because I actively avoid them. I don't like needing someone, I'm self-sufficient."

Steve nodded, "Well I don't think Barton is the type to tamper down your freedom or anything of the like."

"Yeah I know, I'm still not open to letting him all the way in."

"He accepts you as you are, isn't that what you want."

Sharon thought for a moment about that, he already knew about her mutation and the extent of her powers, "Yeah but he doesn't know about Stryker…"

"What's stopping you from telling him? I don't think he's going to run away because you had a harsh upbringing."

"It's not that I don't want to tell him, it's that I don't want to talk about it because talking about it makes it real. If there is anything that I really wish for, it's for that experience to cease to exist, I wish it wasn't real," Sharon said with a sigh, "Now Clint really knows something is happening, he caught me having a nightmare last night. We haven't talked about it but I know he wants to. I just want it all to cease to exist."

"This may sound odd, but that experience is a huge part of the person you are today," Steve said, "When I look at you I see a strong, independent woman. That's something to be proud of in my book. I don't believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger; I believe that what doesn't kill you makes a fighter."

Sharon snorted and laughed, Steve looked at her like she lost it, "What? I'm serious."

"No it's not that, it's an inside joke with Clint, you wouldn't get it unless you know who Kelly Clarkson was." She said with another laugh.

"I wish I had jokes with Angel…" Steve said, sighing, "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to apologize to her and explain your feelings to her. You aren't going to get anywhere if you act like me and make assumptions all the time." Sharon said, "Go shower and figure out what you're going to say, I'll talk with Angel after the meeting and see how she's feeling."

"I will, just as soon as I expect you to find a way to talk to Barton and lay out your thoughts on the table so he can help you work through them. You want to be with him right?"

Sharon paused before nodding, she wanted to deny it but it would have been the biggest lie she'd have ever told.

Steve smiled, "You can do it, now hop to it!"

"Hey! Just because you're a Captain doesn't mean you can order me around bucko!"

"If you can give me orders than I can do the same to you, now go!" Steve said with a smile, standing up and pulling Shar up with him. He gave her a gentle shove towards the door and watched her leave.

He felt better having gotten his feelings off his chest and having gotten clarification about who Logan was and his connection to Angel. Though that relief was soon replaced with guilt that he'd been so quick to make assumptions again. This was the second time he had made a judgment before finding out all the facts of a situation, and he was determined to see to it that this was the last time that would ever happen.

* * *

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	34. Haunted

**It's a short one but it's important for what will be coming in the next few chapters, I hope you all like what I have in store for the Avengers!**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who puts up with my poor navigation**

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

It was a shock to the girls as they sat down at the meeting table and realized that the entire team was assembled and no one was missing. They never realized just how large the team was until they saw them all together. They both felt incredibly honored to be in their presence, as the team was full of incredibly admirable people with intricate backgrounds that would take years to delve into and understand.

As Sharon sat and gazed at the team, she wondered as to why she and Angel were asked to be present. Coulson had said this mission would affect her the most, which had her wondering what was happening that could involve her. The only assumption she could make was trouble amongst the mutants and she and Angel would be their go to people as they had connections in the mutant community. As they were not a part of the Avenger's team, Sharon assumed they would be acting as consultants once again and would be working side by side with the members of the team.

She shot a gaze across the table at Clint, who she saw was watching her intently. She looked away and blushed, peeking through her bangs to see him still watching her, this time with a little grin on his face. She cursed herself internally for reacting in such a silly manner, she was no better than a school girl with a crush. But now that she had admitted out loud to Steve that she had feelings for him, she couldn't very well take back that statement.

Thankfully Director Fury walked in just in time to distract Sharon from Clint's watchful stare, "Thank you all for getting here on short notice. An issue has come up and I need your cooperation to deal with it."

"Are we going to get hit by an army of Aliens again? Because if that's the case then they need to know that is so last season," tony said, leaning back in his chair in his typical egotistic manner while he grinned at his own joke.

"Extra-terrestrials are not an issue," Fury said, pinning Tony with a stare, "And you have just used up your quota of wise-cracks for the rest of the meeting."

"Fun sucker," Tony muttered.

"Loudmouth," Angel threw right back at him, everyone chuckled as they saw Tony's face go a little red and he kept his mouth shut.

"Are we done?" Nick asked, waiting for everyone to settle down, "How many are you familiar with OsCorp aside from the Stark siblings?"

Everyone except Thor knew about the company, Natasha turned to him to explain, "It's a weapons manufacturer in New York run by Norman Osborn."

"More recently the company has been doing more research and testing in bio-chemical weaponry and human enhancements. Our sources tell us that OsCorp is trying to produce an agent that will target mutants in particular."

Both Angel and Sharon sat straighter in their seats and the room grew tense. The girls had dealt with issues of mutant hatred and suppression their entire lives, neither were entirely surprised at this news, but now that it was becoming a reality they felt themselves both go cold.

"Is the government aware of this?" Angel asked.

"They're trying to keep the issue quiet and meet in private. While it doesn't look like they will approve of the agent, there are those who will stop at nothing until they see the mutant race eradicated."

Sharon's mouth went try and a lead weight settled in her stomach as she realized why she was asked here. At that moment Nick turned is stare at her, "Sources have revealed that William Stryker is funding the project and is working closely with Osborn to get it produced. He's selling the pitch as a means to fight enemy mutants, but I think we all know that isn't the entire story."

Sharon closed her eyes and pressed her lips together tight, fighting the urge to vomit and run as far away as possible. Angel looked over to Sharon and put a hand on Sharon's, holding it tight, "Just breathe hun," She whispered.

"Who is Stryker?" Thor asked. It was a surprise to everyone when Steve was the one to answer, "He's the leader of the people who are against mutants, he wants them all dead," He answered quietly, looking over at Sharon who still had her eyes closed while Angel tried to comfort her and keep her calm.

"He is notorious for his hatred of the mutant race and has been trying to eradicate them since their discovery. There was a point in time where he was even taking them in under the pretense of 'curing' them when he was in actuality torturing and testing them."

At this point everyone in the room was aware of Sharon's discomfort, as she seemed to be shutting out the room entirely as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to repress memories, "Ms. Carver knows more about that than anyone else."

At that Sharon's eyes snapped open and she stood, "Excuse me Director,"

Before anyone could object she was out of the room. Angel stood but was conflicted on whether to follow and comfort her or stay and learn more, she looked at Nick who gave her a nod, "We'll continue this meeting later."

With that Angel ran out and after Sharon. Clint sat still in his seat as her processed this new bit of information he hadn't been aware of. He could easily admit he didn't know much of Sharon or her past, only small tidbits and details he'd gathered from her in the past few weeks. This, however, was nothing he had ever expected.

"He tortured her… the bastard tortured her…" He muttered, seeing flashbacks of the night before when she had howled in her sleep and fought at invisible hands while Clint could only standby and watch without a way to wake her.

He stood and went to Fury, "Director I would like to see files on Stryker and learn more about the mission."

"No one will learn more until I meet with Ms. Carver to discuss her involvement. She was a key factor in our last mission, in this one she is our most valuable asset and I need her on board and coherent before we move forward. You are not to do research until I give the okay, that is an order Agent Barton."

Clint's hands balled at his sides as his teeth ground together "yes sir," he growled. He turned and left the room, making his way to the weapons room to make use of the arsenal of fire power and archery equipment.

* * *

**Well well well, seems Sharon's past is finally catching up with her. Looks like she's in for an emotional rollercoaster.**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	35. Open Wounds

**Sorry for being slow on this one, Kyla and I are hard at work starting to put together our web show be plan to start filming hopefully today. I'll try to be quicker putting out chapters, I just got super distracted the past couple days.**

**For those who are interested in following me on twitter I have an account called JoyPearson and you'll find Kyla at MissKylaKy**

**Dedicated to Kyla, who has been waiting for a while for this chapter and I chose to be a troll and take the time to eat my chicken and watch and episode of Downton Abbey instead of post, MWAHAHAHAHAHA**

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Sharon lurched over the toilet once more the wretch the last of the contents of her stomach into the bowl. She'd spent the better part of an hour vomiting since exiting the meeting. Angel held back her hair and stroked her back as Sharon continued to vomit.

It was just the two of them in the bathroom, Angel didn't say anything as Sharon continued to be sick, knowing there was nothing she could say to make it better for her friend. Sharon didn't say a word either, instead she crouched above the toilet as she waited for the last wave of nausea to abate; there was nothing left in her stomach to come back up.

"Let me help you to bed," Angel said, assisting Sharon to stand and move back into the room. She situated Sharon on the bed and went to fetch a bowl to keep nearby incase Sharon grew nauseous again.

While Angel busied herself with that, Sharon closed her eyes and shut out the outside world and start to fix her internal defenses and walls from the invading memories and images that flowed.

Another wave a nausea hit her as she felt the jabs of needles in her knuckles from the tests Stryker had done to measure the nerve pulses that were triggered when she absorbed a persons talent.

Her eyes flew open and she grabbed the bowl beside her and dry heaved into it, tears streaming from her eyes as he body worked to expel vomit that wasn't in her stomach.

There was a knock at the door, "Just a moment," Angel called as she waited for Sharon to quit dry heaving, "Want me to tell them to go away? Say the word and I'll tell them to go."

"See who it is," Sharon said hoarsely, turning so she sat at the edge of the bed and breathed deeply to try and maintain some composure for whoever was at the door. While she wished she was back at her cabin, she had no wish for anyone but Angel to see her in this weak state.

Angel opened the door and found Nick standing there. Her eyes widened, "Director."

"May I come in Ms. Stark?" Nick asked. Angel looked to Sharon who nodded; Nick came in and surveyed the scene and locked his eye on Sharon, "You're looking a little green around the gills Ms. Carver?"

"Is that so shocking?" Sharon asked, glaring at Fury who remained unaffected.

"Ms. Stark, I need a moment of privacy with Ms. Carver."

"I'm not going-"

"that was an order," Nick said, staring at Angel, who looked ready to manipulate him to allow her to stay.

"Do as he says Ang," Sharon said, Angel turned to look at her friend with concern, "I'll be alright, go."

Angel sighed and left the room, turning at the door and giving Nick a look, "Do anything to traumatize her more and you'll answer to me."

"Do anything to get out of leaving this room, Ms. Stark, and you'll answer to me." Nick said, unaffected by Angel's threat.

Once the door was closed, Nick walked over to Angel's bed and sat on the edge, opposite of Sharon, "I don't normally come to the quarters of others on the ship, I apologize if this seems intrusive."

"I know why you're here, and the answer is no."

"You know why I'm here but you don't know the question I'm about to ask," Nick said, pinning Sharon with a look, "You're the most powerful mutant to escape from Stryker. You are also the one he is most scared of and has tortured the most. Don't think we don't have a good idea of what happened to you."

"You might have a good idea of what happened to me, but I _know exactly_ what happened in there, and you'll never understand it entirely unless you were in my place," Sharon said, her tone was deadpan but there was fire in her eyes, "The only way you'll get me on board is if you can guarantee Stryker's head on a silver platter. Because I can't promise you I won't try to kill him myself when I see him."

"Nearly seven years with him as a child would leave a person with a lot of vengeful thoughts," Fury said, "What if I can guarantee that if something were the Stryker at your hand that I and SHIELD could potentially turn a blind eye to it?"

"I don't want potential, I want definitive," Sharon said, refusing to budge.

"You know most people would run away if they were in your situation right now," Nick said, "And yet you're here negotiating the terms, I admire that."

"Well some people don't want to see the man who ruined their lives dead, they'd rather cower and hide. I won't lie and say I'm not fighting the urge to get as far away from here as possible. But the potential fact that I could see Stryker dead and save the lives of thousands of my kind is keeping me here."

Sharon stood, "I have information you want and the drive to see this mission through, will you agree to my terms Director?"

Nick stood and looked Sharon in the eye, "Do you have what it takes to kill a man?"

"He put me through hell for seven years and tried to have me killed. He's affectively ruined my life. Do what I have what it takes to kill a man? No. Do I have what it takes to kill William Stryker? He practically carved it into my human nature to do so. So yes, I have what it takes to kill Stryker."

*.*.*.*.*.*.

Angel paced outside the door anxiously, she wanted to know what was happening and was itching to charge in and demand she be let in to stay by Sharon's side. Sharon had never talked about her time with Stryker, and Angel never pushed. All she knew was that there was torture involved and it scarred Sharon greatly.

She was fighting the urge to attempt to listen at the door again when a hand reached out to grab her forarm and turn her around, "You'll run a hole in the ground if you keep pacing like that," Steve said, pulling Angel into a hug.

"Fury is in there talking to Sharon, I don't know what it's about but I'm dying to go in and find out."

"I imagine he's trying to get Sharon on board with this, she is our best bet of getting close to Stryker and taking him down."

"I suppose so, but it's already taking a tax on her body and I'm afraid of what this is doing to her mental health. I just spent the better part of the hour holding her hair back while she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet."

Steve nodded sympathetically, "I can only imagine what she's going through right now… Do you think she'll run away again?"

"If she does I'm going with her, there's now way I'm leaving her alone now. If there is a threat on mutants then I want to be with her when war breaks out."

"I hope the world has changed since World War II, this Stryker is reminding me of Hitler a little too much."

"Yes well at least with Hitler the jews were killed fast. Sharon was put through seven years of torture," Angel said, shaking her head, "God I hope she gets through this."

"I think she's stronger than you give her credit for,"

"Would you be strong having something so painful from your past shoved down your throat? Having to face your worst nightmare head on?"

"I would like to think I would," Steve said, "But I think Sharon needs friends more than she needs caretakers right now."

Angel was stubbornly quiet, not wanting to admit that Steve was probably right. It was hard not to be a mamma bear, it was practically written in her genetic code. She was getting ready to say something else when the door opened and Nick stepped out.

"Is she okay?" Angel asked, moving away from Steve so she could go back into the room to see Sharon, but Fury stopped her.

"Ms. Carver is resting now. Ms. Stark I would like for you go see Agent Barton and see that he doesn't break orders and try to do research on Stryker."

Angel was ready to argue, but from the look on Nick's face she knew she wouldn't get far. She sighed and left, leaving Steve and Nick waiting until she was out of hearing range before Nick turned to Steve.

"I will be putting Ms. Carver under your protection. She is planning to be the one to take down and kill Stryker."

"She's going to kill him?" Steve asked, feeling flabbergasted and shocked at the announcement.

"Can't necessarily blame her, but I'll need you to keep a close eye on her so no one hurts her and she doesn't hurt anyone else unless it's self-defense."

"But you're going to let her kill him?"

"It's her decision Captain, SHIELD wants Stryker brought in, either dead or alive. I've given Ms. Carver permission to deal with Stryker as she sees fit if she were to come face to face with him. But she is under your protection and I believe that means you should see to it that she doesn't get the opportunity to be confronted by Stryker face to face."

With that parting statement Nick left Steve, who took a moment to process the information and the subtleties that came with it.

*.*.*.*.*.*.

"You're not seriously going to stay down there and watch me!" Clint yelled down at Angel, who was sitting at her former desk in the newly renovated Tesseract lab.

"Well you won't let me up there and I have no way of getting up since you took down the rope I used the last time, so I'll stay down here."

"Oh for god sake, I'm not going to do anything! I don't need a babysitter!"

"Yeah well that's not what Fury thinks," Angel called out, resting her feet up on her desk as she continued to watch Clint up in the nest, "You should just let me up there, it's not like I haven't been there before."

"It's my nest, no girls allowed."

"You let Sharon in there!"

"Well unless Steve is okay with letting you get naked with me then by all means, come on up."

"Tempting as that sounds, I think Sharon might kill the both of us," Angel said with a chuckle, leaning back in her chair and getting comfortable.

He rolled his eyes and sat on his cot, "I have better eyes than you, I know you can hardly see me from down there."

"That's what you think." Angel said, opening a drawer and pulling out a pair of binoculars.

"Where the hell did those come from!"

"Did you really think you were the only one doing the watching in here?" Angel said, grinning cheekily as she watched Clint scowl at her through the binoculars.

"You both watched me too?"

"Like a hawk!" Angel said, giggling as Clint's scowl grew deeper.

"That's my job!" He yelled, feeling frustrated enough to start chucking books at the cheeky girl but chose instead to lie on his cot and ignore Angel as she cackled from below.

"Hey Barton!" She called.

Clint sighed and rolled his eyes, "Will you not let me have some peace at least?"

"But this is important!" Angel called, "It's I have an important message for you!"

"You haven't moved or answered any calls, how important could this message possibly be?"

"Incredibly important!" Angel called.

"Well what is it?"

Angel waited a few beats to try and keep her face straight, "You need to zip your pants!"

Clint sat up and glared at Angel, who fell off her chair laughing as he looked down at his pants and saw his zipper was, in fact, open, "The hell!" He cursed as he quickly zipped his pants and continued to glare at Angel, who was still on the floor laughing.

"The hell are you looking at my crotch for!"

"Just wanted to see what all the fuzz was about!" Angel said, pulling herself up and sitting in her chair again, "Oh man I wish I had a pic of your expression."

"How can you find so much amusement in badgering me right now? Shouldn't you be with Sharon?"

Angel sighed and shook her head, "The following days are going to be tough for everyone all around, I need to get my laughs in where I can so I don't lose it. I need to be strong for Sharon, it would do you a lot of good to do the same rather than sulk around."

Clint stayed still and quiet as he let that sink in. Then he started going into planning mode, going through his mental log in order to make some plans for the future.

* * *

**I really should write more Clint and Angel scenes, I had so much fun writing them interacting, they bicker like brother and sister and it has me giggling as I write it out.**

**Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Alasiel**


	36. AN: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**

So I know I basically fell off the face of the earth for two months and haven't updated and I apologize for that. I hit a huge wall of writers block and haven't been able to get out of it. I was talking to Kyla yesterday about potential ideas for where my story might go and I've decided that I'm going to go back to chapter one and sort of 'revamp' Two Worlds and hopefully get inspiration from there.

I will be posting it as a new story under the title "Two Worlds: REVAMPED"

This means I'll probably be expanding chapters and adding in more dialogue and potential Story Arcs. I feel like I rushed out the story so much within a short period of time that I burnt myself out. I'm determined to finish it and I'm hoping I will get ideas on how to do so.

I hope I haven't lost you all and you keep reading and reviewing Two Worlds, I really love this story and I want it to have a good ending. Kyla is also working to finish her stories (and we are developing a top secret project that is going to blow your minds!) and we're bouncing ideas back and forth like mad!

I love you all and I hope you like the revamp!

Alasiel


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